For my Simultaneous Perception observation I stayed in Union Square, specifically the Saturday morning farmers market area. Immediately I noticed the obvious aspects- that it was a place where independent farms and groups came from outside of the city (mostly tristate area NY and NJ) to sell fresh produce to the public. But, as I stayed over a long period of time I noticed much more complex patterns and found that it is not just a place to purchase produce, but an open community in itself.
First off, I noticed each booth was pretty similar. The signs were mostly handwritten on poster paper, and sometimes ply wood. A lot of the signs reminded me of the Karma bookstore exhibition on signs. Ever since seeing that I have noticed storefront signs a lot more, especially more personal handmade ones. I also noticed that because a lot of the signs were very rustic looking, on scraps of found wood, it added to the organic, local feel to the market.
I saw many people walking their dogs through the market, and socializing with everyone- other dog walkers, vendors, and just people walking through. It felt like a strong community. Even through the cold temperature, I got the sense that everyone was happy to be outside because of the aspect of it being a social thing. I took notice of the location, and connected it back to a project from last semester I did on NYC food deserts. The people at this market seemed to have some financial stability- not wealthy, but not struggling to get by. This made me think of the fact that being able to make healthy, sustainable lifestyle choices is a luxury, and not many citizens below upper middle class have the option of fresh produce. This made me question how can this gap be closed? If we want to make everything more sustainable to save the state of the planet, how can the system change to make sustainability accessible to everyone?
Another thing I noticed was how many people brought their kids to the market. Seeing this got me thinking of how by doing this, they are instilling a foundation of norms that will benefit them in the future. It reminded me of how many people do not recycle, even after being told to because it was not something they did normally as children, so if it is not convenient to them they will not do it. One question I have is can anything really change if the root of the problem is not addressed?
