Seeing real life? Working with the visual to understand landscapes of community

This paper reports on the use of visual techniques and data as part of a multimethod investigation exploring the temporal and spatial contexts of social connections and community formation in an economically and socially heterogeneous inner city neighbourhood. The paper provides a reflective commentary on the use of two visually orientated methods (participatory mapping and walking interviews) and explores how working with the visual offers particular analytical insight. Discussion moves beyond existing debates about the benefits of using visual methods to argue that understanding how visual methodologies illuminate social phenomena needs to take account of the participative and performative processes that underpin them