Glocalization

Calvin Seerveld, a name often whispered with admiration among the philosophy and theology departments, presented a public lecture entitled, “Cities as a Place for Public Artwork: a Glocal Approach” this past Tuesday evening.  He began by explaining that place is different from space, a term that gives the impression of being an abstract non-location between two sites.  Instead, place is a concrete area that holds some significance or value and it is quintessential that humans feel a part of or drawn to some place.  It must have a personal component. Globalization, depending on how it is approached, can destroy this sense of home and place.  If globalization is the primary emphasis, you begin to lose control of your locality.  You become lost in a vast world and your town becomes insignificant on such a huge scale.  Seerveld states that, “globalization has a curious impersonalisation.”  The effects of an exclusively globally focused world are adverse to the particular place each person resonates with.

In response, Seerveld recommends that we take a “glocal” perspective; “a committed world-and-life vision that is ‘globally’ aware, but acts first-of-all locally from the place you call home.”  He says that people should first worry about the city they live in and then look towards the city’s global impact.  He names three principles that implement a glocal approach: regenerate, speciate, and diaconate. Regeneration entails people developing roots in their home city so they feel that they have a place of their own.  To speciate requires that stronger connections be drawn between the many opposing voices offered in the city—political, legal, religious, etc.— and that they be united in a common, overarching goal for the city.  To diaconate refers to “reclaiming city streets for living” by creating an attractive and safe environment.

Art, Seerveld explains, has a prominent role in furthering these three principles.  Art provides fresh aesthetic air in the city and provides a unique identity.  Parks with imaginative art work, walls with beautiful murals, and monuments referencing prominent citizens and achievements all help to draw people to an environment and make it their own.  Art makes a town unique and builds community.  It connects people of various ethnic backgrounds and cries out in many different voices.  As people are drawn to sculptures and public displays safety is increased with numbers and the environment becomes more socially appealing.  Seerveld concludes, “Artistry in neighbourhood tells you the city cares about you.”

The Crown reserves the right to edit or remove any comment that:

• is libelous, threatening, obscene, or constitutes hate speech
• directly and deliberately insults other posters
• is promotional or commercial in nature