An early area of activity was the pig sale, which Urumqi Vacations I went to watch for its entertainment value. Ten piglets on ropes lassoed a group of Urumqi Vacations women, while men who had bought full grown pigs were attempting to drag the pigs away from each other. The pigs just dug in their toes and leaned back, but were hauled along regardless. The air was rent with squeals of protest; and the stronger pigs managed to pull their new masters off towards their old homes. It was a non-stop comedy. The most colourful section in the market was where young Bai girls were selling embroidery knick-knacks, flamboyant and fluorescent wools and silks, tassels, gold thread and sequins.
Complex interactions between the senses, in this case visual and sonic, define spatial experience. More attention needs to be given to the embodied experience of the city, as an important component of the spatial experience of the urban environment, particularly through an examination of sound. Driving is one such example:
Driving is a gigantic ensemble, of cars and roads, but also of all kinds of different architectures derived from driving, from petrol stations to billboards, and of people, the thoughts we have, the actions we make, the images we consume and imagine, the meanings we make, the codes and regulations we negotiate. It is also the speeds at which we drive, the spatial conditions we encounter, the ways in which we look at and listen to the landscape, the very emotions and attitudes we have towards driving and the city.
