Shaping the Social Through the Aesthetics of Public Places: The Renovation of Leeds Kirkgate Market

This chapter shows how social semiotic multimodal analysis can contribute to understanding the social dynamics beyond, and reflected by, the regulatory practices shaping the aesthetics of the visual landscapes of public spaces. The visual and material landscape of our urban environments has semiotic and social significance. The chapter examines the case of Kirkgate Market, in Leeds (UK), focusing on the changes in sign-making practices deriving from the undergoing renovation of the place, which is affected by increasing semiotic regulation in the institution's attempts to brand its image. It provides background information on Kirkgate Market. The chapter then introduces the semiotically unregulated character of the place before it underwent renovation, and analyses the changes in its visual landscape following renovation. It concludes by identifying the gains and losses produced in the change, in terms of semiotic practices and related social effects.