Enter

Door handles, a thing of the past? This item is a press-pad which allows for access in to the public library in Kirkwall. There are no handles on the doors, so there is no other way in which to gain access other than by the use of the pad itself. Society, or more specifically, the immediate members of society that dwell in the vicinity of the library, are well aware of the function of this object. Not all people in society understand this concept; on many occasions there have been Europeans looking at the doors attempting to work out how to get inside the building, but this does not mean that these objects cannot be found within their own countries, it just means that people expect to find a door handle when looking for access and that they are still not fully accustomed to searching for a press-pad. The word 'Open' can be seen, but the word press is represented by a single remaining letter 'P', indicating heavy usage of the pad. The fact that there is a symbol depicting a disabled person, not necessarily a person in a wheelchair, indicates that this may be specifically aimed at disabled people. However, since there is no other means whereby to gain access, the symbol of the disabled person is slightly misleading to everyone concerned, because this is by default the 'door handle'.

Ordering the queue

Forming a queue: many establishments direct people where to stand without having to communicate in the manner of speech or written signs. The moveable barriers, seen above, can be found in many establishments, and serve as a means of informing people where they should line up for certain purposes. Due to security restrictions, other barriers of a similar nature could not be photographed, however, some barriers are deliberately set-up in a manner that ensures that people within a premises follow the barrier around, and so the queue of people from the front to the back can be controlled; with many such barriers not allowing space for people in the queue to bypass each other either forwards or backwards, as found in Post Offices and banks. The barriers that are used are normally similar to the above and they are not very solid but in fact very flimsy and could, if desired, be moved by anybody, but nobody does move them and the authority of the person that placed them remains upheld by those people using the services of the establishment. The barriers, in the photo above, really do not require to be placed where they are, because there is a counter that people will approach in order to do their business, and this is obvious when the building is entered; however, the main function they serve is to ensure that people do not crowd the counter, at specific points that require a certain degree of privacy between staff and customer, and that they remain in politely formed queues until they come to the front of the queue themselves.

The pane

The divider pane of Perspex. A pane of see-through material, glass, Perspex, is normally considered to be for the pure purpose of visual access. The pane above, however, is a communication tool, as well as for visual purposes. Holes in a piece of see-through material, are known to society as areas whereby communication can go back and forth. Some such pieces of communicating Perspex designs have a few holes which are set further up the pane, but people still endeavour to get close to where the holes are in order to speak to the person behind; it is not viewed as odd, by society, that holes have been bored in to a piece of Perspex in order to allow a degree of communication and closeness to the person on the other side. This is also an indication of a certain degree of protection for the person behind the pane, and as such separates them from the people on the other side whilst also giving them a more authoritative status.

Time pieces

This was an arranged photo, for good reason; the fact that a jeweller's would not permit a photograph within any premises. Time pieces are used so that society knows what time it is, but to what end? Time is only there for one purpose, and that is to order society. Many households will have at least 3 of the 4 items in the photo; an alarm clock, a wall clock, a wrist watch, but possibly not a stopwatch. Not all societies are governed by time, generally people in African tribes do not necessarily have time pieces, but go about their daily activities as the sun comes up and cease them when the sun goes down. To highlight further the fact that society is governed by time, when British Summer Time and Greenwich Meantime occur, everybody alters their clocks so that everyone is in sync with everyone else where time is concerned. If a family were living in isolation, there would be no need for this, since time is relative, however some time piece may still be found in their abode. It is not necessary to know what the time is, since this is irrelevant; it is only necessary to know the time, if a person is ordered and following a set time pattern, for example, they must be somewhere at a set time. Time is not governed by individuals, but by people in authority. Highlighting further, if two watches are out of sync with one another, there exists the need for the two to be put back in to sync even if it is only by a few minutes, which in theory would not make the slightest difference; but society likes to be in sync with one another to the degree of being accurate to within seconds on their time pieces.

Timetable

The bus timetable, a simple enough item. Society believes that it is in order to permit the reader to know what time the bus will arrive, and it also gives an indication that the bus will pass, or stop, at the point at which the timetable is found. It also serves the purpose of informing people to be at a set point at a set time, should they wish to take the public transport on offer, which in reality could be seen as its ultimate purpose. The timetable is authoritative and non-negotiable, and society is very aware of this fact.

Speedometer

The speedometer, what is its function? A speedometer is supposedly there to inform you of what speed you are doing; this theory is fine initially, but it is not the case, unless it relates to a racing car driver. The speedometer, within society, is there for one purpose alone, and that purpose is to inform the driver of how fast they should not be going, not how fast they are going. If there were no speed limits, or it was an area, such as the desert, there would be no purpose in knowing what speed the speedometer registered, as long as the motorist had full control of the vehicle. When a motorist drives along they are constantly monitoring not how fast they are going, but rather whether they are going too fast, and the two are complete opposites. The speedometer is there in order to control society, and not for the purpose of registering the speed being done by the driver. At every maximum speed sign along the road that a driver encounters, the motorist will check that they are in compliance with society's rules, and will adjust their speed accordingly if they are going too fast, but seldom will a driver speed up if they are not going as fast as they are permitted to within any particular area. The speedometer relies on the driver being an honest and responsible member of society, because speed limits in every location cannot be monitored at every hour in throughout the day; there is the fear of those in authority taking action against a road user that does not comply with speed limits, so this could also place the speedometer in to the realm of those in authority being ever present within a vehicle that is being driven, and the anxiety of breaking society's rules and therefore being forced to adhere to those very rules is what the speedometer really symbolises.

The seemingly unwritten rules that society follows.

The following images will show scenes of everyday items, which you may or may not have considered before. They will show how seemingly ordinary everyday items, and areas, that we come across, have unwritten rules, or instructions, that society appear to be governed by even when there is no-one of authority around to enforce those rules.