Hi Keith,
I hope Brazil is treating you well. It snowed here today so don't you dare send a photo of warm weather.
Here goes...
Based on the feedback I got from mid review, I'm shifting my thinking a bit from archetypal space as a means of injecting narrative into the landscape. Rather, I'm working around doing so by creating a 'game' out of the inerface between American Street and a digital environment (similar in spirit to Geocaching and Letterboxing). The rough idea is that players/users provide on the ground knowledge about needs, desires, hunches, assets, worries, etc. pertaining to living on and around American Street. All within the idea that this repository of knowledge will inform the design of playscapes that will, in turn, feedback into the game board by altering the physical environment.
As time and development progresses along American, some of the playscapes will be permanent but some will be formwork for opportunities, scenarios, etc. that players want preserved as infill development, etc. occurs.
Play as development. Play informs development.
The rough diagram below hopefully makes the role of the designer (in red) versus the players a bit more clear...
As I'm trying to project a future that grows from a physical/digital interface I figured making an all or mostly digital final product would be great. I've been using an initial mapping exercise to teach myself flash this week. Here is a VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY ROUGH first pass. Click anywhere on the black line to start it and then hover over parts of the ring...
The goal here is to recast American Street in an altered form to initiate thinking differently about the spaces along it as well as create something that can be easily navigated.
As far as what is being mapped, I've divided the lots along American into those that only front American and, thus, will remain largely industrial and those that have dual frontage and might be able to skirt the no living on American rule (like Brian told us about the southern lot).
UPDATE: The flash content isn't loading so I'll just have to show it when you're back.
I hope Brazil is treating you well. It snowed here today so don't you dare send a photo of warm weather.
Here goes...
Based on the feedback I got from mid review, I'm shifting my thinking a bit from archetypal space as a means of injecting narrative into the landscape. Rather, I'm working around doing so by creating a 'game' out of the inerface between American Street and a digital environment (similar in spirit to Geocaching and Letterboxing). The rough idea is that players/users provide on the ground knowledge about needs, desires, hunches, assets, worries, etc. pertaining to living on and around American Street. All within the idea that this repository of knowledge will inform the design of playscapes that will, in turn, feedback into the game board by altering the physical environment.
As time and development progresses along American, some of the playscapes will be permanent but some will be formwork for opportunities, scenarios, etc. that players want preserved as infill development, etc. occurs.
Play as development. Play informs development.
The rough diagram below hopefully makes the role of the designer (in red) versus the players a bit more clear...
The goal here is to recast American Street in an altered form to initiate thinking differently about the spaces along it as well as create something that can be easily navigated.
As far as what is being mapped, I've divided the lots along American into those that only front American and, thus, will remain largely industrial and those that have dual frontage and might be able to skirt the no living on American rule (like Brian told us about the southern lot).
UPDATE: The flash content isn't loading so I'll just have to show it when you're back.
As of now, I've started thinking more in depth about two spaces along American. This would be the point that a designer is reacting to the information that has been collected within the game.
The first video is the lot just north of the intersection with Cecil B Moore. There is no sidewalk on one side of the street and the rail lines splay out off the road. In this scenario, players have indicated the need for a sidewalk, that the rail lines might be an assett and that they'd like to regain the connection through American Street on Montgomery Ave (which was closed off at some point and made superblocks on both side of the street).
I'm playing around with a moveable rail-cart structure that hopefully has some 'spatial amazement' but also begins to map out and solidify the connection through the block. In the future, even though most of the play structure might make way for a new building, the connection will remain.
The second video is just north of American and York. In this scenario, players have indicated that this might be a good place to make a lot of noise because it is relatively isolated and empty. The response is a sound tube playscape that fills in between two old factory buildings. At one end of york street is a subway stop and at the other is Temple. The act of reinforcing the building wall at this intersection is formwork for the more robust and muscular intersection that could happen along these two streets.
Some thoughts and questions Todd raised that I need to address (among many):
1. Clarify the role of the designer and make prominent the role of the designer...and then design!
2. How can I bring the project to a level of clarity without having to design the digital piece of the game?
3. How does the project start? Get its legs? Ignite? Etc? Where is the initial excitement coming from?
That's it for now. Thanks!
