Further images / Return to 2012
Description: Two portable domestic wardrobes were modified to operate as viewing posts for colloquium participants and members of the public. On the outside surface of the booths, quotes by Professor Les Back and John Berger were stencilled addressing ‘live-research methods’. Positioned in the central outdoor shopping mall of Coventry city, participants and members of the public were encouraged to enter the wardrobes and record their observations. Peering through the clear plastic windows, they would write what they saw outside onto a large notepad suspended inside. Once they had finished their recording, the pages were ripped from the notepad and placed inside the clear plastic sleeves suspended on the outside. Passing pedestrians stopped to watch the live recording process and read more closely the developing local script. Within twenty minutes security approached, stating that the 'event' had been under surveillance. As it was not listed in their booking sheet, they advised that it would necessarily have to move on.
Back, L. (2012). Live sociology: social research and its futures. The Sociological Review, 60(S1), 18-39.