Public art piece for Union Square

 Union Square has always been a very important place for Manhattan. Given any day any time the Square always has something going on that draws near people. So this project takes advantage of the huge flow of people- challenging us how, or what public intervention, in other words public art can be installed; making the place even more interesting to visit/ spend time with.

 

1. INSPIRATION

For my piece, I must say it is heavily inspired by one of my first few mysteries for NYC (or more specifically Union Square[US for short] ). When I first got here and start going to school, passing US, I found these chess players sitting there shouting for chess games from bypassers. First I thought they are bored and wanted some entertainment. On second thought I start thinking it might be related to some sort of betting- he’ll pay you if you win and the other way around- however the reality is, they are like gaming consoles in arcades- you give these people five dollars and no matter win or lose you will be paying. It may sound less romantic/ exciting but this is the way that these chess players earn their living.

 

Though still in the very early stage, I have decided that my intervention will be inspired by the chess playing around the station.

 

 

2. RESEARCH

So basically what I did was simple, I went to Union Square several times, differ in hours and weather and see how people interact with the space itself. Here are the logs for every visit I made before I came up with the proposal.

 

 

This is around 11 am of Friday. Due to the snow and the time there were not a lot of people around the station(compared to the days without snow.) People move slower than usual because of the slippery floor. Especially when they are taking the stairs. The metal traction edge were worn off and lost its purpose and did the opposite- making the stairs harder to climb. Also, people who are usually around the square did not show up. Chess players, art sellers and other street performers were absent.

Monday around 2 p.m.. We can see there are a lot more people compared to the morning. People who hang around this time are usually freer- guessing from their walking speed and what they are doing. More people gather around the square’s subway station for all kinds of reasons. As the sun comes up for awhile the whole atmosphere becomes more welcoming, that makes people want to stay and spend their time around. During this period of time we can mostly see middle-aged or young kids moving around the area.

Monday 10 a.m. After the rush hours the station becomes much more quiet and static as not so rushing is going on. The station inside is almost empty with only a few walking in or out. The space itself looks a lot more bigger than it usually is because of the emptiness.

Friday 11 p.m. The station itself turns into something that is almost decorative- when usually it’s the main reason that people are around the union square. People either are coming out from the station for some late night activities or trying to get home from dinner (assumptions made from what they dress). Most of the square is dark as there are not many street lights on when the station exit/entrance acts as a lighthouse.

 

After observing the station in different times throughout a day, I think the very first concept I have is that I hope my piece can stay relevant for the whole day. I hope that people will look at it differently as they travel around the intervention. For the mornings, union square is a place that all people( roughly speaking) hopes to bypass ASAP. For the afternoons, union square is the place to whine out. And for the nights, it combines both of these intentions. Some might sit down at the stairs next to the station while some are still rushing their way home. So basically, and ideally, I would like to make something that is both interesting to walk by and at the same time fun to interact with.

 

3. PROPOSAL

Here are some pictures of my model of my proposal, ‘The pawn piece, one step at a time’.

The quote itself reminds people, mainly New Yorkers, to sort of slow down and remind themselves about life no matter what is going on or what they are trying to achieve. Personally I think a public intervention should always give out a positive vibe for the people who might see/ bypass them daily.

 

 

4. REFLECTION AND HOW TO IMPROVE

After the presentation, my classmates gave me a lot of good advices about how I can improve it. I believe that my design can be improved.

 

First, I should improve it from the viewpoint of functionality. Tony suggested me to go research some of the existing designs in public parks of these permanent chess tables. And I realized a lot of them come with two sides of chairs and in between is of course a chess board- it could either be drawn or carved on stone surfaces. So instead of just letting people use the piece as benches, I think it would be better to modify my design, adding around five to six pairs of benches and chess board tables around the area would let the users have a better experience while they play chess.

 

Second, considering about the usage, I think I have to reconsider how the piece is going to be in Union Square throughout day and night, spring to winter and whatever weather. The piece itself shouldn’t be a problem, standing tall in the park all year since it is big enough to withstand bad weather- however, I was not able to give it a good thought about how it should interact with people throughout different situations- how can people benefit from the chess piece during night time when there are no chess players around? what happens if it rains?

 

Of course, it is not possible to build something that can really be a satisfaction throughout all conditions. However, I think that at least I can figure something out about how I can improve the piece when it stays in the dark. Instead of just letting it sit there, I revised and thought of building the piece to be hollowed so light sources can be placed inside. This decision can not only let people notice the piece during night time but also it could serve as a ‘lighthouse’ of Union Square- the park is famous for its poor lighting at night so I believe this 18 feet structure could help people navigate their way to the subways, or other locations they need to be.