Public Spaces In The Formation Of Public Culture

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Urbanists have long had the view that physical dynamics and look of a place play a vital role in the formation of public culture. Urban leaders and visionary minds have seen a city’s streets, parks, squares and other spaces in the urban environment as symbols of collective wealth, possibility, expressions of achievement and inspiration. “When public spaces are successful they will increase opportunities to participate in communal activity. This fellowship in the open nurtures the growth of public life, which is stunted by the social isolation of ghettos and suburbs. In the parks, plazas, markets, waterfronts, and natural areas of our cities, people from different cultural groups can come together in a supportive context of mutual enjoyment. As these experiences are repeated, public spaces become vessels to carry positive communal meanings” (Carr, Francis, Rivlin and Stone, 1993, p. 344). Film has the ability to inspire us, it allows us to inhabit new identities and to enjoy the world and different types of cultures in different perspectives. The universal ability of films excites and inspires all different types of audiences, it also makes the audience think, laugh, cry and show compassion and proves to be a very successful art form. This very popular and significant medium is becoming more accessible through the realms of cinema, and is becoming a necessity to a greater deal of towns and city’s. This however comes at a cost, in the last two decades dramatic changes have taken place in cinema landscape, which has seen the rise in multiplex cinemas and seen a dramatic decline in low key town center and traditional cinemas. In this essay I will be investigating the changes the Electric cinema in Portobello road London has gone throu...

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...ms in. ever since the redevelopment of the electric cinema in Portobello road the cinema has been going from strength to strength and still remains a vital part of the community.

Finally I believe that since the arrival of multiplexes, the cinematic experience has changed dramatically for the small independent cinemas because of the interest that it drew away from them, because of this the independent cinemas had to dramatically change their image to attract the cliental back through their doors. This change in cinematic experiences is mainly down to the radical change in convergence and consumer culture, I believe that in the many years to come this culture will change again and the multiplex cinema will start to come out-dated because of technology and people will start to look for a more special and individual experience when looking to go to the cinema.

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