During this first session we started with a very fundamental notion: observation. After all, the location we are trying to understand (the Neude) can be visited and described – as it has often been throughout history.

We were joined by Mary Bouquet, anthropologist and museologist, and Gery Nijenhuis, social geographer, to explore two different lenses to look at our world and capture it. Afterwards we immediately put this knowledge to use during a practical assignment in which we attempted to map the Neude. We walked across the square, trying to find salient features, capture them using smartphones and talked to locals. Gathering this information allowed us to start thinking about what defines this place.