Week 11: Visualizing Prototypes + Observations on Vulnerable Spaces
From last week’s one-on-one meeting with Dan, we talked about the possibility of the final product of my thesis project and places where I think make me feel secure or vulnerable. This week I will be exploring and analyzing characteristics of spaces around me and in the city, and looking at case studies, and visualizing a few iterations for the project.
Case Studies
Before I started visualizing some ideas for the iterative projects, I was looking around for some inspirations that revolve around the notion of vulnerability. The following artwork by Angie Wang somehow draws me in a way that it simply speaks out the truth in regards to how our society works and the peer pressure that is affecting us as per individuals. This illustration shows that no matter how close we are with each other, either judging at proximity or speaking of relationship building, somehow there is still a point where we just co-exist with each other, being together side by side in a physical space but alone in our thoughts, our deepest memories. It is truly challenging to be vulnerable especially within this built worldly system because of numerous reasons, but the main reason being the capability to trust one another. In order to survive in this life, we need the support of each other, not just through the physical action of helping but also mental support. There is not much point of living if we are just simply co-existing without being able to speak out those complex web of memories of ours.
This next one is an architectural sculpture that was installed in a narrow alleyway as a mean of social experiment along the Little Hunter Street in Sydney. This street installation simply consists of two curved forms in which one of them creates a point of tension toward the center of the busy lane, forcing pedestrians to negotiate their way by interacting with others who are moving in the opposite direction. A lane that can normally accommodate at least three people comfortably passing got reduced to one person comfortably passing only. I am fascinated by how simple and pure the intention is but at the same they successfully create this playful participation and interaction among the pedestrians, especially when this kind of social aspect is desperately needed in big cities. This installation is very inspiring to me and I am hoping to somehow incorporate the social aspect in at least one of the iterations.
Learnings from Readings
This week instead of reading research materials from the third topic area, I jumped and dived in into the last topic area which is learning about the correlations between built environments and our emotions and the impacts.
Observations
This week I started observing the different spaces that I pass by along the way. I noticed whenever I hop on to the subway train, there is this interesting vague boundary between the person sitting on the corner seat and the person standing on the side in front of the door opening. It is vague due to the more negative spaces there is that separates the two individuals. The boundary is simply a metal rod that curves only up to half of our standard height. But because the two individuals are looking at the opposite directions, they do not realize of the extremely close proximity between them. Despite that fact, they both look comfortable being alone together. From here I learnt how this can be the foundation when thinking about designing a vulnerable space for two. Opposite directionality and vague boundary is the two keys to integrate into the design.
Talking about directionality, I think people feel more safe and secure when they think there is no one is looking at their directions, no matter if one is at the corner or center of a space. This is because there is no pressure directed at them. For my designs, it will be important to manipulate any form of pressure that might come at them when experiencing the interactive space.
Visualizing Prototypes
I have decided that the final product of my thesis project will include three different iterations as a mean of social experiment. The first one would be a space for one person to connect with the outside world so it would reflect the idea of “being together alone” in oppose to “being alone together.” The second one would be a design that involves two individuals but in separate spaces. Here I am trying to apply the idea of opposite directionality through the design of vague boundary. For the last one, this has one come to my mind yet but for now it can still either be an interaction for one or two.
From these iterative projects, I would like to point out how important the notion of sharing is no matter if it is direct or indirect because through the action of learning about others, we then eventually are able to accept and be vulnerable to ourselves.
