The symbolic infrastructure of an environmental art project

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to provide a contribution to a methodology for exploring the symbolic infrastructure of the man-made environment. In order to comprehend the complex nature of the topic, a theoretical framework is suggested, comprising elements from urban aesthetics, semiotics, and cognitive sociology. A description is given of the research method developed on behalf of the project, of which the case study concerning an environmental art project is part. A portrait is given of the artist and of his presuppositions regarding the project and the way people endow this project with meaning is reconstructed. Intriguing differences emerge from the analysis concerning the predominance of form versus content characteristics, the recognition of iconic and indexical References, and the codes or rules of interpretation. A number of questions in connection to our method and findings are discussed.