Blog Post Six
In Is This Seat Taken? , the act of choosing where to sit is not just observed, it is something viewers are likely to immediately recognize in themselves. The familiarity of the behavior is what gives the work its impact. Rather than presenting something unfamiliar, the project reflects a pattern so common that it often goes unnoticed. This kind of recognition aligns with Edward T. Hall ’s theory of proxemics, where spatial behavior operates as a form of nonverbal communication. However, in the context of this work, the significance is not just in how space communicates, but in how consistently people follow these patterns without consciously acknowledging them. Viewers are not learning a new concept, they are realizing they have been participating in it all along. That realization can create a subtle form of discomfort. According to Erving Goffman , individuals are constantly engaged in impression management, shaping how they are perceived in social environments. When...
