1.10. Representations of place

Question 1

Statistics

Answer 1

• give quantitative data
• can be in the form of raw data or represented visually through charts, graphs etc
• statistics are objective but can be used subjectively
• statistics don’t tell you about sense of place

Question 2

Maps

Answer 2

• can be used for any source of data that has a location
• can show quantitative, demographic and economic data
• some can show qualitative data such as maps of indexes of happiness
• can show reliable data but can also be misleading

Question 3

Films, photography and art

Answer 3

• visual representations show what a place looks like and can give some sense of character of place
• only represent what the artist wants to show you so can be misleading
• photographs only show what a place looks like in a given moment
• films and television evoke a sense of place dependant on the nature of the story being told
• paintings and sculptures can be less reliable than films and photography as they are the artist’s interpretation

Question 4

Stories, articles, music and poetry

Answer 4

• written responses can be used to describe places and can also evoke a sense of how it feels to be in that place
• newspaper articles can give lots of details about a place but may be biased
• can give an emotional impression of places but only from the writer’s perspective