[Last modified: November, 27 2024 01:49 AM]
During my 15-minute field research, I visited a furniture store by the street, where I experienced a rich mix of sensory experiences. Walking along the street and looking through the glass storefront, I was drawn to the exquisite arrangements inside. The seemingly small shop was compactly filled with colorful furniture and an array of green plants of varying heights visible through the window.
I pushed the door open and was embraced by the fresh scent of wood and warm air, a pleasant contrast to the cold outside and the strong winds, making me happy to be enter in the warm indoors. Looking around, I saw a variety of furniture on display. In front of me was a sofa with an orange tree and flower embroidery, behind which was a storage rack adorned with potted plants, and beyond that, a plain-colored sofa. The store was not large, but it was filled with all manner of sofas, beds, tables and chairs, shelves, and floor-standing clothes racks. The wall space was well-utilized with shelves built into the walls, displaying a variety of storage boxes, cushions, vases, scented candles, decorative crafts and hot air balloon-shaped lights hung from the ceiling. However, such arrangements did not make one feel overly crowded. Every corner was reasonably used, and spaces were left between the neatly arranged furniture for people to walk through and admire.
There were about a dozen customers in the store. Some were casually sitting on sofas and beds to rest, while others stood by the shelves against the walls, carefully selecting items from the racks, all appearing leisurely and at ease. I noticed the music playing in the store seemed to have no fixed style; one song was a cheerful Spanish tune, and the next was light music filled with Christmas atmosphere, yet both fitting the casual vibe of the store. The music in the store is not noisy, it does not overpower the soft conversations of people, and I noticed that the customers in the store seem to deliberately lower their voices when speaking; everyone tacitly does not want to break the peaceful atmosphere of the store.
The multimodal approach to anthropological research has given me an unprecedented experience. I have never paid such attention to the various details of the environment, and I would not consciously pay attention to sounds and smells. However, under the guidance of multimodal methods, I consciously paid attention to everything around me. My senses were amplified, and I felt a richer experience and a deeper impression of my surroundings, discovering more information that is easily overlooked.