Café Thoughts
- Isabella Borda
- Aug 23, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 30, 2024
I consider myself a purveyor of the perfect café spot. Once arriving at a café, I seek out the perfectly sunny, secluded corner spot. Many of us do; it’s why there are those awkward empty tables left alone, abandoned for a more preferable seat. Each person has their own criteria for selecting where to sit. Too crowded in one area, too dark in another. It’s simple and it’s natural why we choose certain seats over others, even different coffee shops over others.
I’ve always been curious why coffee shops in general are so enjoyable. There is a unique feeling of productivity in going, sitting down, sipping your drink, and working for hours on a task set in front of you. As an architecture student, I find it much more relaxing to work in a coffee shop than in my studio, and choose to whenever I can. The time spent in a space filled with other people, equally dedicated to their tasks, feels infused with a productive energy.
More than that, there is an element of social interaction and fulfillment that comes from being in a group setting, from eavesdropping on nearby conversations, or bumping into friends. Social spaces like these also have the power to make someone feel alone in a crowd, both negatively and positively. Coffee shops, to me, work in a positive manner. Hidden behind your computer screen, a book, or cup of coffee, you are safe to work, daydream, or socialize as you please. It is an active space, with a large array of purposes behind a visitor being there. The communal aspect of a coffee shop is enticing, almost as much as the anonymity of it.
Maybe I’m just a really big fan of coffee shops. They spark so many questions for me: what started this trend? what makes it so accessible for all ages? are there other social spaces like this? how have they evolved? is coffee necessary? The big question, though, is this: how do I capture how they make me feel, and how do I communicate that to someone else?
So, I decided to translate the experience of being in my favorite spots in my favorite coffee shops visually. Trying to capture the atmosphere, lighting, vantage points, colors. The choice to use collage as a means of explaining my experience is because I want to use familiar, existing objects so it is understandable. The end product was not exactly like a cafe, but I think it captures the atmosphere well. In the future, I'm excited to do more cafe explorations and figure out just what makes them so unique.
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