Episode 21 - Ailish Jane - What is a sense of place?

"Do you ever go somewhere, and have a strong emotional response to it, such as happiness, nostalgia or fear? Have you ever wondered why we look for meaning in places and develop stories or legends about them over time? Well these behaviours are known as a sense of place..."

Those are the words of my guest for this episode, Ailish Jane, creator of the excellent Sense of Place Podcast.

Ailish has interviewed a fascinating array of people on subjects that relate to the effect that certain sites can have on people and communities,  going past the tangible and towards something more sublime, where buildings and other places can develop their own personalities and character, and myths and legends can emerge.

Even once gone, such places can still have their own ghosts which haunt the area they once occupied, and be mourned by the people that remember their passing.

In the episode we talked more about what a sense of place is and how it manifests, it’s importance in helping people form a connection to their local area and maintain a sense of community, as well as preserving the heritage of our towns and cities and creating new folklore. Lovely stuff!

 

Background sounds at beginning of episode: https://freesound.org/people/meisterleise/sounds/353259/

Some Other Sphere theme music is from https://www.purple-planet.com/

'Hubbub' by Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey