Exploring the Role of 'Visual Catalysts' on Influencing People's Attraction and Use of Place

immediately transient; a reflection <strong>of</strong> our instinctual affliction with loss and <strong>the</strong> desire to
maintain stability (Altman & Low 1992).
PERSONAL INVESTMENT
However, <strong>the</strong>re are limitations <strong>of</strong> ‘visual catalyst’ establishing an attachment between place
and people in relation to time and temporality. This is not solely because <strong>the</strong> intervention
is a transient act, but because it is one that is more focused on a product driven result
ra<strong>the</strong>r than a process driven outcome (Moran et al. 2014). In some o<strong>the</strong>r forms <strong>of</strong> creative
placemaking <strong>the</strong>re is a holistic community engagement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> creation <strong>of</strong> a place which leads
to a much stronger ability to establish one’s attachment to place due to <strong>the</strong> social investment
put into that place (Marshall & Bishop 2015). The VIVID festival is not one which engages
<strong>the</strong> community in its establishment - only for <strong>the</strong> experience. This limits ultimately limits its
ability to form attachment to place, yet it does not exclude it from <strong>the</strong> notion <strong>of</strong> attachment
being able to occur. As such, an initial attraction to place due to a ‘visual catalyst’ has <strong>the</strong>
ability to lay <strong>the</strong> foundations for attachment to occur primarily dependant on <strong>the</strong> purpose
and success <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> temporary place-based intervention.space <strong>the</strong>re is also <strong>the</strong> ability for <strong>the</strong>
intervention to have a pr<strong>of</strong>ound impact on a person’s experience <strong>of</strong> that place, as instead <strong>of</strong>
being a foundational event it can act as a building block to that establishment <strong>of</strong> attachment
as described by Korpela et al. (2009). Yet, it is important to note that this catalysed attachment
to place may deteriorate following <strong>the</strong> removal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> intervention in <strong>the</strong> place if <strong>the</strong>re is no
‘lingering’ experiences <strong>of</strong> place (Desimini 2015).
RECOMMENDATIONS
The relationship between creative placemaking and people’s experience <strong>of</strong> place is one
that requires fur<strong>the</strong>r research. The use <strong>of</strong> a quantitative methodological paradigm for this
research project was useful in gaining a thorough understanding <strong>of</strong> how people change <strong>the</strong>ir
behaviours in a place, and how <strong>the</strong> experience <strong>of</strong> place is influenced. This understanding can
be streng<strong>the</strong>ned through future research with a qualitative methodological paradigm; one
which examines individuals experience <strong>of</strong> place across <strong>the</strong> lifetime <strong>of</strong> a creative placemaking
interventions through interviews. This would provide personal insight and a social dimension
<strong>of</strong> understanding into how <strong>the</strong> experience <strong>of</strong> place can be altered across time. Likewise,
this could provide fur<strong>the</strong>r insight, and would be a likely next step <strong>of</strong> research, when wanting
to delve more intently into <strong>the</strong> understanding <strong>of</strong> how <strong>the</strong>se transient forms can potential
cultivate and catalyse an attachment to place.
CONCLUSION
‘Visual catalysts’ have <strong>the</strong> potential to change <strong>the</strong> attraction and use <strong>of</strong> place in a
transformative manner. They can change both <strong>the</strong> physical and social formation <strong>of</strong> a space. As
found in this study, <strong>the</strong>y can also have <strong>the</strong> potential to promote greater attachment to place
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