Application of the Ritual Spaces Matrix to the entrance of the Casino de Monte-Carlo to examine how approach, visibility, elevation, waiting, entry and non-entry transform an architectural entrance into a socially differentiated spatial sequence.
Threshold · Liminality · Arrival Performance · Spatial Transition · Boundary-Making · Status Display · Social Sorting · Spectatorship · Selective Participation · Tourist Gaze
Introduction From the square to the interior
The entrance to the Casino de Monte-Carlo offers a particularly suitable setting for examining the relationship between architecture, behaviour and spatial differentiation. The approach is not confined to a single point of entry: it unfolds as a sequence comprising square, façade, stairs, entrance landing, doorway and interior space.
These layers make it possible to distinguish analytically between actions that, although physically close to one another, are not equivalent: walking through Place du Casino, looking at the façade, photographing it, ascending the stairs, remaining in front of the entrance and actually crossing the threshold.
The concept of Casino Threshold Ritual is used here to describe this succession of repeatable actions and spatial transitions. The term ritual does not presuppose a ceremonial meaning shared by all users: it refers to a spatial sequence in which certain actions recur around a highly visible threshold.
01 · Analytical Instrument Ritual Spaces Matrix
The Ritual Spaces Matrix breaks each scene down into four variables. Its aim is not to classify people, but to compare spatial configurations in which an action becomes significant through its location, exposure and function.
| Variable | Operational question | Coding |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Where does the scene take place? | Specific spatial unit. |
| Ritual | Which dominant action structures the scene? | Arrival · Observation · Photographing · Waiting · Crossing. |
| Visibility | What degree of exposure does it present? | Low · Medium · High. |
| Function | What social effect structures the configuration? | Sorting · Boundary-Making · Legitimation · Status Display. |
When the space, dominant action, degree of visibility or social function changes substantially, a new scene is coded.
02 · Coding Rules From visual recording to interpretation
| Observation | First, record what is directly observable: position, movement, stopping, ascent, entry or exit. |
| Coding | Next, assign Space, Ritual, Visibility and Function. |
| Interpretation | Distinction, liminality, spectatorship or performance are added later as theoretical interpretations. |
| Inference Limit | Wealth, place of residence, motivation, social belonging or intention to consume are not inferred solely from appearance. |
03 · Case Study Why study the Casino entrance?
Within a relatively compact space, the Casino brings together several conditions relevant to the matrix: monumentality, high visibility, photographic interest, pedestrian movement, vehicle arrivals, changes in level and differentiated access.
From Place du Casino, the façade remains widely exposed to view. Visitors can approach without entering, and the stairs allow them to move physically towards the building before reaching the point of actual entry.
| High Visibility | The façade, staircase and arrivals remain widely visible from the square. |
| Open Observation | Observing the building does not require crossing the entrance. |
| Vertical Transition | The change in level physically separates the square from the entrance landing. |
| Selective Crossing | Ascending the stairs does not necessarily mean crossing the doorway. |
| Arrival Visibility | Vehicle movement and stopping may form part of the same visual field. |
04 · Research Question Architecture and transition
The question does not assume that ascending, stopping or entering has the same meaning for every user. The research focuses on how the spatial configuration makes these actions possible and differentiates between them.
05 · Scene Definition Observation field
The case mainly covers Place du Casino, the Casino façade, the staircase, the immediate entrance landing and the point of entry.
Pedestrian movement, arrival and departure sequences, and vehicle circulation in the designated area of Place du Casino are also relevant when they form part of a recorded scene.
The square is not coded as a single unit. A person crossing the space, another photographing the façade and another entering the building constitute analytically distinct scenes.
06 · Threshold Sequence The architecture of approach
↓
PLACE DU CASINO
↓
FAÇADE / VISUAL ATTENTION
↓
STAIRS
↓
ENTRANCE LANDING
↓
ACCESS POINT
↓
ENTRY / NON-ENTRY
The sequence progressively establishes a distinction between visual access and functional access. The façade can be observed from the square; the staircase can be traversed; the entrance point constitutes an additional transition.
elevation ≠ admission
visibility ≠ participation
07 · Ritual Spaces Matrix Applied Breaking the threshold down into scenes
| Space | Ritual | Visibility | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place du Casino | Promenade / observation | High | Legitimation |
| Casino façade | Photographing | High | Legitimation |
| Vehicle arrival zone | Arrival / stopping | High | Status Display |
| Casino stairs | Ascending / threshold crossing | High | Boundary-Making |
| Entrance landing | Waiting / positioning | Medium | Sorting |
| Casino access point | Entry / non-entry | Medium | Sorting |
Concepts such as Spectatorship, Liminality or Selective Participation are subsequently used to interpret the scenes; they do not replace the formal Function categories.
08 · Coding Profile Analytical profile of the case
|
Spatial Coding
Primary SpaceCasino Threshold Secondary Spaces Place du Casino · Façade · Vehicle Arrival Zone · Stairs · Entrance Landing · Access Point |
Ritual Coding
Primary RitualApproach / Threshold Crossing Secondary Rituals Walking · Observing · Photographing · Arriving · Ascending · Waiting · Entering · Leaving |
|
Visibility
Dominant LevelHigh The square, façade, stairs and some of the arrival sequences are widely exposed to view. |
Social Function
LegitimationStatus Display Boundary-Making Sorting |
09 · Threshold & Liminality The entrance as a transition
Van Gennep (1960) and Turner (1969) provide a classical reference for understanding thresholds as transitional spaces. In this research, their concepts are used by analogy: the Casino entrance is not an anthropological rite of passage in the strict sense, but it does present a clearly graduated material sequence.
The square is a largely open circulation space; the staircase changes bodily position; the landing brings the visitor closer to the doorway; the entrance introduces a new spatial condition.
The staircase and entrance landing can be analysed as intermediate zones between observation from public space and actually crossing the threshold.
Gieryn (2000) reminds us that places acquire meaning through the relationship between location, material form and associated practices. The analytical significance of the threshold derives precisely from this combination.
10 · Vertical Transition The staircase as a spatial filter
The stairs introduce a physical difference between the level of the square and the immediate entrance level. This difference can be described empirically without attributing a social intention to it in advance.
| Elevation | The body changes level relative to the square. |
| Direction | The architecture channels movement towards the entrance. |
| Pause | Stopping may occur before, during or after the ascent. |
| Visibility | The ascent remains widely observable from the surrounding space. |
The interpretation as Boundary-Making derives from the function of this transition within a broader sequence, not from physical height alone.
11 · Tourist Gaze The façade as an object of attention
Urry and Larsen (2011) place the gaze at the centre of many tourist practices. In Place du Casino, the building can become an object of observation and photography regardless of whether entry subsequently takes place.
Edensor (2001) adds a second dimension: tourist practices also involve embodied ways of moving through, stopping in and positioning oneself within a space.
≠
ENTRY
Photography is an observable action. On its own, it does not establish admiration, aspirational desire or a future intention to enter.
12 · Audiovisual Evidence Entry and exit
Video is particularly useful for this case because it can record sequence, direction, simultaneity and duration, dimensions that a still photograph cannot fully represent.
|
Video 01
© Xavier Reinaldo-Virgili · Monaco Visual Fieldwork Archive (MVFA) · 2017–2026
Entry and exit process |
Video 02
© Xavier Reinaldo-Virgili · Monaco Visual Fieldwork Archive (MVFA) · 2017–2026
Approach and entry |
13 · Arrival Performance Arrival as a visible scene
Goffman (1959) provides tools for examining the presentation of behaviour in situations where people share a field of observation. In Place du Casino, certain arrivals may occur in a highly visible space.
Bourdieu (1984) allows certain goods and practices to be interpreted subsequently as possible resources for symbolic differentiation. Han, Nunes and Drèze (2010) examine status signalling through luxury goods more specifically.
These perspectives support examining the presence of high-end vehicles as visible status cues, but they do not justify automatically identifying the wealth, place of residence, social class or motivation of their occupants.
|
Video 03
© Xavier Reinaldo-Virgili · Monaco Visual Fieldwork Archive (MVFA) · 2017–2026
Automobility within Place du Casino |
Video 04
© Xavier Reinaldo-Virgili · Monaco Visual Fieldwork Archive (MVFA) · 2017–2026
Pedestrian circulation in Place du Casino |
The presence of an object culturally associated with luxury may form part of a Status Display scene without the research being able to attribute a particular social identity to its occupant.
14 · Spatial Performance Bodies, behaviour and space
Goffman (1959) and Edensor (2001) enable space to be interpreted not only as a material setting but also as a context in which people walk, wait, observe, position themselves and cross thresholds.
The notion of performance does not imply that users are pretending or consciously performing for others. It is used to examine how embodied practices become visible within a shared spatial configuration.
Lefebvre (1991) situates these practices within a conception of space as socially produced through uses, routes and relationships.
15 · Analytical Positions Different relationships with the threshold
The original coding distinguished conventional tourists, elite visitors and residents. This classification makes claims that are too strong if it is derived from images or video alone.
In this version, those identities are replaced by observable positions.
| Passer-by | Person crossing the square when no further interaction can be established. |
| Visual Observer | Person who stops or perceptibly directs their attention towards the building or its surroundings. |
| Photographic Observer | Person who visually records the building, square or objects present. |
| Threshold User | Person observed on the staircase or entrance landing. |
| Entrant | Person who actually crosses the entrance. |
| Vehicle Arrival | Observable arrival by motor vehicle; this is not, in itself, a social category. |
16 · Spectatorship Participating visually without entering
MacCannell (1973) and Urry and Larsen (2011) frame tourist observation as a meaningful spatial practice. A person may incorporate the Casino into their experience of Place du Casino without crossing its entrance.
Photographing the façade, stopping in front of the stairs or watching arrivals constitute forms of visual participation.
↓
APPROACH
↓
OPTIONALLY ASCEND
↓
ENTRY / NON-ENTRY
Non-entry is an observable outcome. It does not, by itself, establish whether this reflects a lack of interest, personal choice, time constraints, access regulations or any other motivation.
17 · Boundary-Making From physical difference to symbolic difference
Lamont and Molnár (2002) provide a particularly useful framework for distinguishing material, social and symbolic boundaries.
| Boundary Layer | Observable expression | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Stairs, change in level, doorway and entrance configuration. | Physical Threshold |
| Functional | Difference between circulating through the square and entering the establishment. | Access Differentiation |
| Performative | Approach, waiting, ascent, stopping and crossing. | Threshold Performance |
| Symbolic | Social interpretation of the difference between observing the place and accessing it. | Symbolic Boundary |
18 · Distinction From spatial evidence to sociological interpretation
Bourdieu (1984) makes it possible to interpret how certain practices, spaces and goods may acquire a differentiating role within cultural systems of classification.
Correia, Kozak and Reis (2016) specifically examine conspicuous consumption and social and self-congruity in elite tourism choices, while Han, Nunes and Drèze (2010) analyse the role of luxury-goods prominence in status signalling.
These studies provide an interpretive framework for examining visible signs of luxury around Place du Casino. They do not demonstrate that every person, vehicle or recorded behaviour necessarily serves a conscious signalling function.
Vehicle · clothing · movement · position · access
CODING
Space · Ritual · Visibility · Function
INTERPRETATION
Distinction · Status Signalling · Symbolic Boundary
19 · Integrated Interpretation How the Casino Threshold operates
↓
VISUAL ATTENTION
↓
APPROACH
↓
VERTICAL TRANSITION
↓
ENTRANCE THRESHOLD
↓
ENTRY / NON-ENTRY
↓
DIFFERENTIATED PARTICIPATION
The case demonstrates that a threshold does not necessarily begin at the doorway.
Approach may be constructed through a succession of spatial planes, changes in height, visual fields and actions that progressively distinguish public observation, physical approach and actual entry.
This sequence allows the Casino Threshold to be understood as an architecture of transition rather than simply as a binary open/closed mechanism.
20 · Model Contribution What the Casino contributes to the Ritual Spaces Matrix
| Space | It distinguishes the square, façade, staircase, landing and point of access. |
| Ritual | It separates circulation, looking, photography, arrival, ascent, waiting and crossing. |
| Visibility | It shows that a transition of access can remain widely visible to external observers. |
| Function | It distinguishes Legitimation, Status Display, Boundary-Making and Sorting according to the particular scene. |
21 · Field Coding Minimum observation record
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Scene ID | Unique scene identifier. |
| Space | Square · façade · stairs · landing · access point. |
| Ritual | Directly observable dominant action. |
| Visibility | Low · Medium · High. |
| Function | Sorting · Boundary-Making · Legitimation · Status Display. |
| Boundary Type | Material · Functional · Performative · Symbolic. |
| Observed Action | Factual description without attributing motivations. |
| Field Note | Context and interpretive analysis, kept separate from the coded observation. |
22 · Visual Evidence Evidence required for the case
|
Place du Casino Context Relationship between the square, Casino, Hôtel de Paris, circulation and visual field. |
|
Façade Visibility Visual exposure of the building from different positions. |
|
Stair Sequence Ascent, stopping and vertical transition. |
|
Entrance Flow Entry, exit, waiting and co-presence at the entrance. |
|
Observation Practices Looking, stopping and photography when directly observable. |
|
Arrival Mobility Vehicles, circulation, stopping and pedestrian–vehicle interaction. |
23 · Interpretive Limits What visual evidence does not demonstrate
Photography ≠ desire to enter.
Non-entry ≠ exclusion.
Entry ≠ elite status.
Luxury vehicle ≠ demonstrated wealth of its occupant.
Clothing ≠ social class.
Hotel origin ≠ demonstrated guest status.
Confidence of movement ≠ knowledge of social codes.
Visibility ≠ admission.
Spatial hierarchy ≠ demonstrated design intention.
Repeated observation ≠ statistical representativeness.
Visual records make it possible to study trajectories, positions, observable behaviour, sequence, proximity and access. Motivations, identities, socioeconomic status and subjective meanings require other sources.
Why this threshold matters
The Casino de Monte-Carlo shows that spatial differentiation can develop progressively before the formal point of entry.
The square remains highly open to view; the staircase introduces elevation and direction; the landing concentrates access; and the doorway ultimately separates approach from actual entry.
The Ritual Spaces Matrix makes it possible to break down this continuity into distinct scenes without automatically attributing a social identity to those occupying them.
25 · Research Provenance Fieldwork and visual archive
The research draws on spatial observation, photography and video recorded around Place du Casino during fieldwork conducted in Monaco between 2017 and 2026.
The materials used form part of the Monaco Visual Fieldwork Archive (MVFA) and make it possible to reconstruct sequences of approach, mobility, observation, elevation and access.
The selection constitutes contextualised visual evidence, not a statistically representative sample of all people or situations occurring in Place du Casino.
Visual Fieldwork · 2017–2026
Photography & Video Fieldwork · © Xavier Reinaldo-Virgili
26 · Documentation Model, archive and traceability
Ritual Spaces Matrix
Conceptual model and coding rules →
MVFA — Broader Visual Fieldwork Collection: Scope and Documentation
Archive documentation →
Monaco Research Observatory · OSF
Public repository →
27 · Bibliographic References References · APA 7
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste (R. Nice, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1979).
Correia, A., Kozak, M., & Reis, H. (2016). Conspicuous consumption of the elite: Social and self-congruity in tourism choices. Journal of Travel Research, 55(6), 738–750. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287514563337
Edensor, T. (2001). Performing tourism, staging tourism: (Re)producing tourist space and practice. Tourist Studies, 1(1), 59–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/146879760100100104
Gieryn, T. F. (2000). A space for place in sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 463–496. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.26.1.463
Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Anchor Books.
Han, Y. J., Nunes, J. C., & Drèze, X. (2010). Signaling status with luxury goods: The role of brand prominence. Journal of Marketing, 74(4), 15–30. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.74.4.015
Lamont, M., & Molnár, V. (2002). The study of boundaries in the social sciences. Annual Review of Sociology, 28, 167–195. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.28.110601.141107
Lefebvre, H. (1991). The production of space (D. Nicholson-Smith, Trans.). Blackwell. (Original work published 1974).
MacCannell, D. (1973). Staged authenticity: Arrangements of social space in tourist settings. American Journal of Sociology, 79(3), 589–603. https://doi.org/10.1086/225585
Thurlow, C., & Jaworski, A. (2012). Elite mobilities: The semiotic landscapes of luxury and privilege. Social Semiotics, 22(5), 487–516. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2012.721592
Turner, V. (1969). The ritual process: Structure and anti-structure. Aldine.
Urry, J., & Larsen, J. (2011). The tourist gaze 3.0. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446251904
van Gennep, A. (1960). The rites of passage (M. B. Vizedom & G. L. Caffee, Trans.). University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1909).
The threshold begins before the doorway
The Casino de Monte-Carlo allows us to observe how a spatial transition can be constructed through a succession of visible scenes.
Place du Casino provides the public field of approach; the façade focuses attention; the staircase introduces elevation; the landing brings the user closer to the access point; and the doorway establishes the clearest functional transition.
The main analytical contribution is not to identify who belongs or does not belong to a presumed elite, but to observe how different forms of participation become spatially distinguishable.
The Ritual Spaces Matrix thus makes it possible to turn an apparently continuous scene into a sequence of comparable units: Space · Ritual · Visibility · Function.
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CASINO THRESHOLD RITUAL
