On leaving the flat with all the girls and walking down, in the pouring rain, it never really crossed my mind about how I felt about going into this strange and unusual environment until I reached the door and realised it looked quite scary with the big security guard standing at the entrance. However one of the girls I was with knew the security guard, as he used to work with her, and this certainly lightened the mood as he chatted away with us and gave us some pointers about what's what.
Before you can get in you have to join and become a member and get your little card to swipe in the barrier and the machines. To do this you needed valid proof of identification either a driving license or passport and they then double checked your details then took your photograph. This was a little scary, made me feel slightly uncomfortable and nervous because made me think of the possibilities of something untoward happening and the need for photographing everyone that entered the premises. After getting my card and checking my umbrella into the cloak room we got directed to the doors to swipe our new member cards and get in.
The decor of the Casino was all Reds, black and silvers and when I looked into the use of red within a room it is said to make you feel energized and alive which I think would provoke and influence your behaviour in an environment such as the Casino making you have the urge to gamble. There was flashing coloured lights on the ceiling that were being reflected on the glass bar and tables, making it all a very dazzling experience.
Males seemed to dominate over the females within the Casino, however if there were woman they were within a group and not alone ( a bit like the 4 of us) whereas, a lot of the men tended to be on their own. Most commonly middle aged and Chinese men. The men standing or sitting at the gambling and roulette tables seemed to be very focused, very quiet and in a slightly hunched over position as if to not let opponents get too close and to keep their distance and focus only on the game at hand. Coats where very common amongst all the players which I did not understand, because there was a free cloakroom downstairs, but it gave the impression to me as if the players weren't staying long at the table and that they were just looking to get their winnings and make for a quick exit.
The whole point of this experiment was to go somewhere you had never been before, so I had never been to the Casino so I didn't really know what to expect along the lines of dress code, but people weren't as smartly dressed as I had thought they would be. No one was scruffy but I just expected to see lots of men in shirts and ties, the classic business man look, but instead it just seemed to be suit trousers and a more casual shirt and no tie. All the woman however, where just dressed the way in which most would dress on a night out in town.
The overall experience of the Casino was definitely made easier and less uncomfortable as one of the girls knew the bouncer and he helped us with telling us where we could get info on the games (from leaflets) and he also pointed us in the direction of a man who showed us around and gave us a quick lesson on using the electronic roulette tables. Had we not spoken with this man I think we would have approached the tables without a clue what to do, and yes although there were some leaflets about I didn't think they were very helpful.
This is by far the best assessment yet in design studies and I thoroughly enjoyed my evening out and doing my bits and pieces of observation, however the only downfall was my loss of £6 but we all got free ponchos when we left which made up for it all!
No comments:
Post a Comment