prompt 5.2 - community building
This prompt challenged me in many ways. As I write this blog post wrapping up this project, my eyes have been opened to a new way to view design and my practice. I will start this post talking about the iterations of this prompt, then I will get into how my conception has shifted and lastly, ways this project could be built upon in the future.
Iterations
Title
The biggest iteration from when I started working on this prompt to now was how I defined it. Initially, this prompt was called “sociability”. I was curious about how people connect and wanted to make something that could help facilitate. However, after talking to my supervisor, Haig Armen I realized that what I was interested in wasn’t sociability. What I was actually interested in was community building.
Form & Function
The next iterations I will talk about deal with the form and function of the sonic mural.
I initially wanted to do a single song for the entire park. Listening to feedback, I began considering a multisong approach for different sections of the park. That idea eventually mutated into exploring how to use processing (a coding tool) to develop a digital interaction where visitors of the park can make music with the audio samples I collected. Finally, through all that divergence and convergence, the outcome of this project will consist of a single sonic mural for the entire park.
Visitors of the park can scan one of the QR codes that are located in the basketball court, skate park, community garden and main bench. Once visitors scan the QR code they are directed to a webpage that has a brief description of the sonic mural, the sonic mural itself, and a photo album with the pictures from the snow day. The webpage will end with an open call to artists of all mediums and skill sets to make music and art for the park. The reason why I like this final positioning of having other artists make their art for the park is that the sonic mural becomes a catalyst. In some ways, this positioning transcends the interactivity that I could have made with processing and gives people the permission to create on their terms.
My approach to community building in some ways subverts the conventional wisdom of first coming to a collective agreement and then making a decision for a more guerrilla-styled approach that encourages community members to act autonomously for the greater good of the community (see room for improvement for further discussion).
Example of what a “choose your own adventure” concept would look like if visitors could help make the song. Courtesy of CoSo by Splice
An example of the QR codes that would be put up by the basketball courts.
Where I would put the QR code sticker.
An example of the QR that would be put up by the community garden.
Where I would put the QR code sticker.
Example of webpage
A Shift in Practice
Transcendence
Throughout this prompt, with my realization crystallizing with a 1 on 1 with my studio professor Louise St. Pierre, I realized how I was conducting my design practice limited what I could achieve. During my conversation with Louise, she broke down what she saw as two approaches to design.
Louise St. Pierre: Two approaches towards design
The biggest takeaway I took from our conversation was that I was doing a lot of the making portion and in some ways was limiting myself. By relinquishing my ego and letting myself dream bigger, I can see my design practice developing in ways I haven’t let it before.
Language
Another realization that came from this prompt is a refinement of how I talk about my practice.
Placemaking
In conversation with Bonne Zabolotney after describing to her what I was doing for this prompt, she mentioned I should look into placemaking. Although my current understanding of the concept is surface level (I plan to look more into it), it seems that what I am doing with this prompt is indeed placemaking.
From my understanding, placemaking is a process of enhancing a communities connection to its environment through interventions in public spaces. The sonic mural I made is specifically creative placemaking which deals with artistic and cultural interventions. Going forward I want to explore ways this concept can be integrated into my work.
Audio
Coming into this program my primary focus was music. Although I still see music as my passion and guiding light, I want to expand my practice to have audio as my overarching focus.
Room For Improvement
One thing I am going back and forth on as I reflect on different ways I could have produced the outcome of this prompt is if I considered enough of the communities perspective.
An attribute I want to consciously consider more in my design practice is someones sensibility.