| Abstract [eng] |
This thesis examines three public leisure spaces in Vilnius – Vingrių šaltinių square, the recreational area near the Baltas tiltas, and the Perkūnkiemis leisure zone – through the lens of Greimassian semiotic analysis. The study explores how spatial structures produce leisure meanings, emphasizing the relationship between spatial form and social meaning. This study operates on the premise that spatial contexts are not neutral: they produce the values circulating in society. Spatial organization and built form embody dominant social and cultural meanings which, under favorable spatial conditions, may become naturalized and internalized at the individual level, shaping social practices – including those related to leisure. Applying Greimassian semiotics as methodological approach, the research identifies three dominant leisure paradigms in the selected public spaces: a postmodern paradigm focused on visual self-representation; a modern paradigm centered on physical activity and social order; and a commercial paradigm in which leisure is understood as the consumption of services. Although each site reflects a distinct model of leisure, the study reveals a common reliance on predetermined usage scenarios. Moreover, a selective logic is observed: the practices implied by spatial structures are accessible primarily to users who meet certain implicit social, cultural, and economic expectations. |
