Spirit of place refers to the unique, distinctive and cherished aspects of a place; often those celebrated by artists and writers, but also those cherished in folk tales, festivals and celebrations. It is thus as much in the invisible weave of culture (stories, art, memories, beliefs, histories, etc) as it is the tangible physical aspects of a place (monuments, boundaries, rivers, woods, architectural style, pathways, views, etc) or its interpersonal aspects (the presence of relatives , friends and kindred spirits , etc).
Often the term is applied to a rural or a relatively unspoiled or regenerated place - whereas the very similar term sense of place would tend to be more domestic, urbanist, or suburban in tone. For instance, one could sensibly apply 'sense of place' to an urban high street; noting the architecture, the width of the roads and pavements, the plantings, the style of the shop-fronts, the street furniture, etc. - but one could not really talk about the 'spirit of place' of such an essentially urban and commercial environment.
The Roman term for spirit of place was Genius loci, by which it is sometimes still referred. This has often been historically envisaged as a guardian animal or a small supernatural being (puck, fairy, elf, etc) or a ghost. These beliefs have been discarded in the modern world; but a new layer of less-embodied superstition on the subject has arisen around ley lines, feng shui and suchlike.
The western cultural movements of Romanticism and Neo-romanticism are often deeply concerned with creating cultural forms that 're-enchant the land', in order to establish or re-establish a spirit of place.
Modern earth art (sometimes called environment art ) artists such as Andy Goldsworthy have explored the contribution of natural/ephemeral sculpture to spirit of place.
Many indiginous and tribal cultures around the world are deeply concerned with spirit of place in their landscape.
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Last updated: 10-08-2005 09:35:08
