Revealing processional temporality through digital technology: aspects of meaning in the plan for medieval Salisbury

I have spent the last few years evaluating various aspects of the layout of medieval Salisbury in part by using computer animations of specific processions which were described in thirteenth century texts and have come to the conclusion that that the primary ordering principles of the plan of the medieval city are centred on the processional routes for the Rogation period directly preceding the feast of the Ascension. In this paper I would like to discuss some of the reasons why I think that this may have been the case, i.e. why the manifestation of order within the urban realm at Salisbury was largely structured through a participatory act rather than a static form. I will use the sketch animations and collages in the presentation to illustrate some ways in which these new technologies can be utilised to reveal some aspects of spatial order without challenging the historical requirements for empirical verification.