Preliminary Questions:
- Why did you draw using silhouettes?
- Where did this map come from?
- Where did the lock come from?
- How come you chose to work in only ink?
- What made you choose these photos?
- Why did you mostly walk behind me?
- Where did you get this flyer?
- Was the flyer on the floor?
- Would you go back to the bridge and walk it again?
- Did you mostly focus on the path or the structure?
- What color did you feel on the bridge?
- What about the green taping? Why was that so intriguing?
- What did the audio do for you?
- Have you listened to the audio?
- Is there a reason the pictures are blurry?
- Did you enjoy the walk?
- Do these pictures accurately represent it?
- Which media represents it best?
- If you were in my shoes what would you do?
- Can you think back and remember it perfectly?
Interview Questions
- How was your experience when walking the bridge? Did you feel like time slowed down or picked up?
While walking across the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn, I felt like time picked up, as everything was so overwhelming and I guess I had to first realize what was going on. There were a lot of bikers and the cars were rushing. It was very loud and the people were walking very fast. I needed some time to process everything until I even started taking pictures and this was the moment that time slowed down. Somehow I achieved to notice what was going on inside people’s minds other than the exterior. I stopped acknowledging the cars and focused on the small details, such as things that were lying around on the floor or how different people were walking. As soon as I looked around in order to acknowledge the small objects that people would call unimportant time slowed down.
- Was walking there or walking back more impactful?
Both ways were equally important I’d say. The way there gave me time to process what was going on, like the introduction to a movie. Yes, it was like the start of a story, the start of a girl who slows finds inspiration by acknowledging the simple things in life. The way back was more intense, there was much more thinking going on in my mind. On the way across the bridge, I started seeing everything in a different way, as I was noticing the people around me and on the way back I started imagining stories about the people I saw.
- How did it feel to stop on the bridge and record certain things, take photographs, or pick up objects from the floor?
It felt exciting not to care. As this was an assignment, I was not afraid to look weird and therefore did not care about what people thought. I had a reason to do it; therefore there was no reason to be embarrassed or anything. The more the people were looking the brighter the smile on my face. I was taking videos of my perspective and the people walking towards and in front of me and their looks always avoided the camera. They seemed uncomfortable with the situation, which made it even more exciting. The fact that this was an assignment gave me an excuse to do it, as I would normally not have the guts to walk around and photograph strangers. It was a new experience and eye opening. I stepped out of my comfort zone and now I have no problem being weird in public.
- When you stopped on the way back to draw images of the bridge how did it feel? Were people staring at you?
People were not staring directly at me, but they did sneak behind me to take a glimpse at what I was drawing. People are so curious. In a very childish way they approached themselves close to where I was sitting and leaned over to see my drawing. It definitely made me smile and created a positive energy.
- Is there a reason you just focused on drawing the silhouettes?
I just love drawing with pen and simple outlines. I am a very draw very quickly and focus on lines rather than shading. For instance, I love drawing architectural forms; therefore I enjoyed drawing the bridge a lot.
- Did you notice the green tape on the floor right away? Or was it something you noticed as you were looking back at your photos?
I had already noticed the tape on the way there and made the footage on the way back as my motivation to capture everything was much greater. Also the first time I saw the green tape, I did not notice that it was a game. On the way back I noticed that some people were respecting the lines and were jumping from square to square like children do when they play the lava game.
- Which piece from your bridge walk do you think best represents the walk as a whole?
I feel like the video of the green tape capture the walk as a whole the best, as it captures how my perception of things changed throughout the walk. At the beginning, it took me time to be able to focus on the small details and I got very distracted by the noise, which was very overwhelming. After some time, my mind became much clearer and let my imagination flow. I could loosen up and think more clearly. Nothing was forced.
- What about the bike lock? Where did you find it?
I found the bike lock on the way back. Surprisingly, I was so excited that I found something that I picked it up right away.
- Do you feel that now you have more of an appreciation for the bridge or bridges in general?
Yes for sure. I really enjoyed the bridge walk and it totally changed my perception of things. I have walked the Brooklyn Bridge before and then I did not focus on the environment but more on my thoughts. This time I exposed my thoughts fully to the environment and absorbed everything that was going on. I don’t think this behavior will change the next time I walk a bridge.
- Which part of the bridge did you focus most on when you were drawing?
I focused on the architectural aspect and negative space. The structure of a bridge really fascinates me as I have no idea how they construct it. Drawing aspects of the bridge made me understand the structure better.
- Where did you find this store flyer? What context was it in?
I found the store flyer on the floor at the beginning of the bridge. It said “Sample Sail”, which drew my attention to the flyer immediately, as I love sails and purchasing designer clothes cheap.
- In one word, how would you describe your bridge walk?
Inspiring
