Atmospheres denote a sensuous that takes place things and people. in-between ‘something’ They may be ontologically difficult to grasp or contain yet they play an important role in ordering spaces and social life. With a focus on the of things in this case a light ‘ecstasy’ – source as a sensuous encounter of presence, the article argues that both the contemporary – focus on the ontology of things within anthropology as well as a Post-ANT perspective on performativity, though analytically useful, also methodologically overlook how the vagueness of atmospheres foregrounds the contemporaneity and entanglement of matters, minds and cultural preferences of sensing places. Keywords Atmosphere, light, undecidedness, vagueness, cosiness, materiality, Denmark, Introduction Susie, the bartender, stepped towards the table in a pub in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a lit tea light and proclaimed: comes the is a common term in Denmark hygge’. Hygge ‘Here which generally translates as cosiness. It denotes a kind of atmosphere characterized by a particularly informal and relaxed spirit of being together, or even alone. Lighting plays a key role in orchestrating such atmosphere and, hence, social life in Denmark. Since it was
Atmospheres denote a sensuous ‘something’ that takes place in-between things and people. They may be ontologically difficult to grasp or contain yet they play an important role in ordering spaces and social life. With a focus on the ‘ecstasy’ of things – in this case a light source – as a sensuous encounter of presence, the article argues that both the contemporary focus on the ontology of things within anthropology as well as a Post-ANT perspective on performativity, though analytically useful, also methodologically overlook how the vagueness of atmospheres foregrounds the contemporaneity and entanglement of matters, minds and cultural preferences of sensing places. Keywords Atmosphere, light, undecidedness, vagueness, cosiness, materiality, Denmark, Introduction Susie, the bartender, stepped towards the table in a pub in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a lit tea light and proclaimed: ‘Here comes the hygge’. Hygge is a common term in Denmark which generally translates as cosiness. It denotes a kind of atmosphere characterized by a particularly informal and relaxed spirit of being together, or even alone. Lighting plays a key role in orchestrating such atmosphere and, hence, social life in Denmark. Since it was
Bille_Hazy_worlds_final_pre_proof.docx