parking lot outside of target in petaluma, california
9:20 to 9:45 on sunday November 28th
classification: non-place

playlist

atop a freeway lies a catwalk
below a catwalk lies traffic
across a catwalk lies suburbia
behind a catwalk lies shops
between suburbia and shops lie a catwalk
inside the catwalk lies nothing

note

the catwalk is the most typical example of a non-place; its literal only purpose is to provide a way to cross the freeway.

however, there is more nuance to this non-place than meets the eye.

drawing from the concept of immersion/transduction, i began to observe a unique characteristic of the catwalk. i noticed that as i walked along the catwalk while looking down at the cars passing by right below, i felt a strange sensation. in my own terms, you could say i felt almost like a ghost. I felt this way for two reasons. 1. the old catwalk, ridden with graffiti and rusted metal, made me ponder about its past. i had imagined tons of scenarios. I wondered what crimes had been committed? had anyone ever tried to break the fence away and jump down? what if this catwalk collapsed? this has less to do with transduction, and more to do with the unsettling feeling the non-place gives off, something it has in common with the 'abandoned' non-place.

what struck me the most was 2. the liminality of this space created an specific atmosphere, one in which the catwalk itself had disappeared or was invisible, and all that was left was myself floating above the freeway.

looking down through the fence, seeing the headlights of the cars zooming past, the sounds of engines flying by, and the powerful vibration from under your feet, all these sensations add to the transduction of this scene.

catwalk passing over highway 101 in petaluma, california
9:35PM on sunday november 28th

mock-up of catwalk ambience

note

to many, this parking lot is a non-place; its where you park your car before you head into a store. But to me and my friends, this parking lot is the site of where we skate. i'm admittedly not the best skater, but i enjoy skating in this parking lot because its often deserted and off to the side, meaning that there is rarely an audience to witness my struggle. this is how i made meaning out of this non-place.

welcome to: catwalk