Evaluation of the sight –
Make observations using the 5 senses
- Sight: Neon lights, people, food tracks, high business buildings, to-go cafes, coffee coffee and more coffee, cars and traffic lights,
- Smell: New York’s smell: A mix between fast food, the smoke of the cars and the sewage system. Sometimes you get a sense of the coffee’s aroma when you pass by a cafe.
- Hear: People on the phone, cars’ horns, the music the man close to me is listening to, 3 seconds of people’s conversations, the banging of bags.
- Touch: Cement, the smoothness of the handrail
- Taste: Prepared food
Formal Qualities
There is a contrast between the precisely designed and geometrically structured set architecture (buildings and roads) and the unorganized and recently added one (food trucks, scaffolds…) which makes the area feel stifling.
On 7Av, the word vegetation does not exist, nor does fauna or natural landscapes. It is all about cars, roads, sewage systems, scaffolds, high monochromatic buildings, the american flag and trash. The site saves its monotonous look thanks to the many signs on the business’ façade. If it wasn’t for this, the Garment district would exclusively be a series of tall, brown, dirty buildings surrounded by cement, pavements and street signs.
After all, it is a hectic avenue full of neon lights, business’ names and signs, tall and covered windows with advertisements of their business on occasions, and buildings of 13 floors minimum. Proportions are big, everywhere you go: buildings, doors, windows…
Participant Observation
7th Avenue is the home of fashion brands and ateliers, the home of stressful and hectic lives. It is no surprise that people there walk without paying attention to where they step, always focused on their phone – texting or talking – or too busy in their own world. There’s barely interaction, and if there is, this is never between more than two people. On occasions I can listen to what they say: work, obviously, is somehow always part of the conversation. From their early 20’s to early 50’s, people from all over the world walk through these streets. They are busy, and do not seem to be there to spend the day. On 7th Avenue, people have a purpose, a destination, and a limited amount of time.
Personal Analysis
Being on 7Av brought in me a feeling of intimidation. There is something in that place that made me feel small. It may have been the building, it may have been the billion dollars worth companies that surrounded me, or it may have been the great amount of people on the streets.
I noticed there was a lot of noise, not one specific but a combination of the city and the human life. This made the space even more overwhelming.
Where were the restaurants? There were only cafes and restaurants to go. Everything keeps moving, no one stands still.
Thus, since the very beginning, the main question that the location rose within me was how to make these people stop and look at the memorial. How to take them out of their bubble? It seemed like life had no time for a small pause for them.
Questions:
- For the final project, I intended to model the five different pillars with acrylic. The main idea was to laser-cut the different pieces and have the text engraved on those needed. However, there are 3 questions that rise:
- Will it be possible/aesthetic to do it with a small text, or should I consider modeling the memorial in a bigger proportion?
- Should I use another material rather than acrylic?
- Shall I even make a model? Or would a digital-photoshopped presentation be more effective?
