For my design, I want to emphasize the history of Bronxville’s artists through use of the beautifully designed Station Plaza.

 

For the B section of the Bridge 4 Assignment (which I was absent when it was introduced :/), I designed some objects and new layout for the plaza which I think (?) that was the assignment.

I also think the assignment was to make a reflection on the physical experience I hope to produce (maybe?) so I wrote a reflection to that effect.

 

I want to inform people of the history of artistry that comes from Bronxville’s beginnings as an art colony. I hope people learn about the artists and architects that helped form the town (both physically designing it, and spiritually setting the culture,) and focus on that rather than Bronxville’s recent history of prejudice and segregation. I’m using lights to emphasize the pretty layout of the plaza, along with a Station Plaza-inspired sculpture in the center of the plaza.

 

 

For my 3D representation of my redesign, I used mostly paper, pencil, and ink to make the plaza and the various elements of it. These include the bushes, the trees, the benches, and most importantly, the wire sculpture in the center of the plaza. At first, I was a little uncomfortable with this scale, since it seemed to make the objects in the park way too small, but it ended up working quite nicely. It also helped me visualize the final look of the park post-design in a way that 2D representations weren’t quite as helpful at.

 

Here’s my physical, 4D object I made for my space. It’s a biographical plaque I made about a Bronxville-based artist from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. It includes a drawing of him, and a somewhat-lengthy (but thorough) biography of his life, inspired by the Jaqueline Osassis plaque in Grand Central Terminal. To keep it in the ground, it has a metal pole that digs into the soil.

Not many people stopped to look at it, even though there were a lot of people (especially old people) slowly walking past. And it was Easter, so it’s not like they were trying to catch a train or get to work or something. I think there are a couple problems with my design that probably made it not too popular. I think I could’ve made it taller, so people don’t have to lean over so much, and can see the text closer. I also think I could’ve made the biography shorter, so it’s more accessible to people who aren’t interested in reading a lot. But I think the biggest problem is the fact that people who pass by the park aren’t very interested in reading, so I don’t think it’s possible for a plaque like this to work, regardless of what changes I make.