Contemplating Infrastructure: An Ethnographic Study of the University of Toronto Faculty of Information Inforum’s iRelax Mindfulness Resource Area

Abstract

Created in 2016, the iRelax area is an innovative meditation and yoga resource hub situated within the University of Toronto Faculty of Information’s Inforum. Comprised of approximately fifty interconnected digital, physical, and textual resources, the iRelax area possesses a distinctly open and visible spatial profile intended to promote open conversations about mental health. This ethnographic case study of the iRelax area examines the initiative’s aesthetic, informational, organizational, and spatial properties, as well as individuals’ encounters and interactions therewith. The iRelax area’s associated Mindful Moments program, or free, guided meditation sessions offered within the learning commons one day per week, is also examined. In order to develop a detailed understanding of the relationship between the iRelax area and this program, the study’s design was broadened to include consideration of contemplative inquiry as a complement to ethnography. The study casts the iRelax area and its associated Mindful Moments program as contemplative infrastructure.