Urban Imaginations

Based on multi-method team ethnography, this study examines the knowledge production of creative ethnographic methods. We explore what the encounters between ethnographers and streets as sensory entities can tell us about urban living: How do ethnographers become part of street life, and what kind of knowledge is produced through this material-sensory entanglement? Our experimental methods include ethnographic hanging out, sensory intervention, and the application of ethnographic methods in futures studies. These methods broaden our understanding of the ways in which the socio-material environment can be experienced and envisioned. They shift attention to the blind spots, offering a unique perspective on urban life that diverges from traditional depictions of street life. Our project draws inspiration from a 1970s ethnological project in which two streets in central Helsinki were documented by ethnology students through interviews, photographs, and observations of street and domestic life. In autumn 2023, present-day ethnology students revisited the same streets using sensory and creative ethnographic methods as their tools. This knowledge is reflected in the research ideals of the 1970s and the knowledge produced at that time.The article is based on the coursework conducted in the Ethnography of Everyday Life course in autumn 2023.