The Material Manifestation of Deviant Landscape—A Model Railroad Self-Experiment
摘要
The creation of model railroad landscapes is not a prevalent selection for social and cultural science research. Such creations, in turn, rarely serve as a reflection of landscape theory. However, both are the subject of this article. Thus, landscape can—as derived from Karl Popper’s three world theory—be divided into three levels: that of the socially-shared patterns of interpretation, categorization, and evaluation, that of the individual construction of landscape, and that of the landscape synthesized into the material world. This approach is based on local references, stereotypical socialization, and expert knowledge. The design of model railroads usually depicts landscape stereotypes and local connections (because of a lack of academization). This means that the potential for increasing contingency associated with the creation of model railway landscapes has not been catalyzed. This article presents examples of what a contingency-enhancing design of a model railroad can look like by deliberately leaving certain conventions (such as the continuity of space and time) unaddressed.