Washington Square Park

Write Up

Introduction:

• Reason for park choice
• Research
• State research question
• Reason for research Q (Also explain mood & texture)
• Explain research Q (Possible interactions between mood & texture)

Body:

• Excitement/happiness
• Sadness/melancholic/Nostalgic
• Irritation/annoyance
• Calm/tranquility
• Explain uncommon texture/touch, eg water, wind, temperature

Ending:

• Summary of how texture/touch affects mood

Write up:

New York is always changing. The skyline constantly diversifies itself as do neighborhoods, people and parks throughout the city. Washington Square Park, unlike most of this continuously evolving city, has held onto its lively bohemian atmosphere. In one corner of the park, old men can be found sitting at chess tables, moving pawns across the cool marble surface. Gypsy like men strum their guitars and sing by the great white arch. Cool droplets of water travel from the fountain to our skin as we take in Washington Square. Washington Square, while quite small, offers a diversity of sensations and textures as we explore each corner of the park.

The research topic we’ve come up with is to investigate on how different sensation and texture produced by the sense of touch affect one’s mood and overall feeling. We decided on this topic when we first visited the park as a group. We walked around the park several times and noticed that due to different temperature, shades and sensations, we can sometimes feel irritated, while sometimes calm and collected depending on the surrounding environment. We decided that this was an interesting topic to research on as human beings are emotional animals, and they often do not notice how their emotions are being changed or manipulated.

In our research, texture and sensations are a stimulus to certain mood. A rough texture can generate fear and cautiousness as it creates a dangerous aura; on the other hand, when touching the smooth, damp grass, it can generate a calm and soothing aura. For example, the hard marble texture made us feel more self-aware under the direct sun, while, the smooth and wooden texture of the benches made us feel more relaxed under the shade. In contrast, the smooth wood of the shaded benches provided a very calm and settling feeling when sitting on them. The firmness of the wood complements the softness of the human body and allows one to spread out and sit firmly. There is a saying amongst Zen Buddhists that states, “all you need in life is a comfortable seat” and the comforting texture of the wooden benches serves only to reinforce that texture has a direct relationship to emotional mind states.

Unconventional textures like water, wind and temperature can also affect the texture and, therefore, our mood. We noticed that the water fountain created a welcoming feeling. But the fountain was made of marble, a hard and smooth texture that isn’t exacting soothing. It was the water that soothed the area, and created that welcoming feeling. Furthermore, when Wind is present in an environment it can intensify the feeling of a texture. When there is a breeze on damp grass, it lowers the temperature of the grass, this makes the grass feel unwelcoming can jarring. Lastly, Temperature is key in how a person experiences a texture due to the reactions of a specific material in specific temperatures. For example, the marble benches are a much more comforting texture when it’s hot out because they absorb heat. Alternatively, the wooden benches remain comforting in any temperature because wood is generally unaffected by average changes in temperature.  

In conclusion, texture affects moods because texture is felt through our sense of touch. Our emotions are products of our internal processing of our external situation, thus texture affects emotions because it is an external source of information. This was evident during our research. We observed different people feeling the same texture while experiencing different outcomes.

Research

Historical research:

Created: 1871

Location: Greenwich Village

Size: 10 acres

1. Land was once a marsh fed by Minetta Brook, located near an Indian village known as Sapokanikan.
2. 1797 the City’s Common Council bought this land for public executions (this is where the legend of the “Hangman’s Elm” in the park’s northwest corner originated)
3. Was first used as the Washington Military Parade Ground in 1826, Washington Square site became a public park in 1827.

Renovations / Design work:

1. In 1871, it came under the control of the newly formed New York City Department of Parks, and it was re-designed again, with curving rather than straight secondary paths.
2. In 1888,  a bronze statue of Italian freedom fighter Guiseppe Garibaldi is unveiled in the park, funded by a portion of the subscription fees to the Italo-Americano newspaper.
3. 1889, for Washington’s inauguration William Rhinelander Stewart was commissioned to make a White’s papier-mache and white plaster arch for the occasion. It was a success and he was later commissioned to make a permanent version.   
4. In 1930, Robert Moses launches a campaign to redesign the park. The newly renovated park consists of several benches and a playground for younger children, though this was at first strongly disagreed by the residents surrounding the area.
5. In 1970, the community members pledged to renovate the park, which opened up the central area of the park, creating a plaza.

Sources:

1. “Washington Square Park.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
2. “Washington Square Park” NYC Parks. Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Web. 17 Sept. 2015
3. “History – Washington Square Park.” Washington Square Park. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
4. “The Johns Hopkins University Press | Books | The History of Washington Square Park: A Time Line.” The Johns Hopkins University Press | Books | The History of Washington Square Park: A Time Line. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

Observation/data collection

Day 1:

Visited the park with everyone in the group. We explored the park a bit to learn more about the different possible texture that can be found. At first we just talked about simple textiles like wood, stone, bricks… etc but soon we expanded on our textures and included temperature, airflow and different movements of objects/liquids as well.

Came up with the research topic of: How does sensation and texture affect the mood.

Day 2:

The way objects feel against skin can appeal to a range of emotions. As I stroll around Washington Square, I run my hands across the smooth, cool chess tables; they are calm and mischievous. The carvings in the arch are warmed by the sun, the carvings feel old but strong. The grass is cool and relaxing as it tickles my legs, and the fur of the dogs passing by with their owners feel like happiness and love as I pet their heads. The diverse textures found around the park can influence my mood and mindset.

Day 3:

In Washington Square Park, the textures one is experiencing largely play into the locational/subjective perspective of the park. I connected hot marble with the center chairs that provide a first hand experience of Washington Square Park because this texture signals i’m closest to the center of the park which is where all the excitement happens. In contrast, the cool shaded wood of the exterior benches offer a much more peaceful quiet view of the park without forcing the viewer to interact with whatever he/she is viewing. In between both contrasts there are scattered plots of grass that provide a very welcoming texture. I found myself experiencing this texture much differently based on which bit of the park i was in and the level of energy/movement around my area.

Day 4:

I went during mid day so it was filled with locals. I noticed that the texture of the paths varied on texture depending on how close it was to the most populated area. Most of the chains connecting the poles, that were furthest away from the fountain connected were broken and jagged. Which created an unwelcoming environment.

Day 5

I went during the night, it was cool and because it was dark I wasn’t able to see the textures before feeling them. It hindered my sight–so I was only able to depend on the other senses. The wooden benches were cooling and smooth and felt relaxing, while the marble benches near the water fountain felt more rigid. This proved our theory of texture affecting my mood–even though I was not able to see the texture of the seat before sitting down.

Day 6:

It was a very sunny day today, changing the temperature quite a bit and hence the feeling one receives when touching various textures. When I stroll around the park, everything was boiling hot. The metal railings burns through the skin, the leaves brushes across the bare legs as if it were trying to cut something. This felt irritating as it doesn’t seem very welcoming. I then walked through a shadier area and it felt much better. Benches were cool, grasses were a bit damp, giving a sense of tranquility. The whole world seems to be quieter and more peaceful all of a sudden. Sensation and touch really do change a human beings emotion drastically — it enhances what may already be felt, or it may completely change the mood and mindset of one person.

Day 7: