Observation Project
Greg and I had some time issues on getting this assignment done, so we put our heads together and decided that the best place to do this observation project was Broadway and Waverly Place, right in front of the Tisch Building. We thought that this street corner truly represented New York City. Our subjects consist of an everlasting, everchanging flux of pedestrians & motorists, chaotically jumping in and out of our metropolitan microcosm.
Like any space, there are laws governing it. Obviously, we have the general laws of physics governing the earth, which puts restrictions on the subjects’ movements within the space. And we also have civil rules (such as personal ethics & city laws) which govern the actions/interactions of our subjects with each other and with the space.
From the info above, it can can be concluded that:
- Subjects move at varying velocities -
The experience within the space will vary depending on the velocity of the subject. Different speeds and different directions will produce different interpretations of the space. Because our space is rather small and finite, a motorcyclist zipping by in a straight line will not have enough time to absorb the detailed information that a zig-zagging, pit-stopping dogwalker can.
Though the movement of our subjects is by all means chaotic, there is a general traffic pattern followed by the majority. The crosswalk signals and traffic lights dictate the commencement, direction and cessation of most of the movement across the street, putting motorists and pedestrians on an intermittent schedule. The sidewalk movement, however, is a bit more unpredictable and varies according to personal motives.
- Subjects are always changing -
Our space does not move and does not alter its shape. It is constant. In contrast, those passing through the space, never stay the same. Each one of our players is genetically, racially, religiously and emotionally different. And they are different every time they pass under the spotlight of our Broadway stage. Our space has no windows, no doors and is open to everyone. Therefore our sample size, just like our big city, is the personification of variance. Whatever methods or design we choose to implement for our project, they will have to explore the diversity of our space and illicit some sort of meaningful response from its inhabitants.
- One Possible Prototype -
One possible prototype we are considering is installing a device that can record “YES/NO” “TRUE/FALSE” statements from our subjects, which would be controlled by physically pressing 2 buttons. The device would be attached directly to the corner lightpost, with the 2 functional buttons set at eye-level. We could then hang a “TRUE/FALSE” question above the buttons and record data. For example, we could pose the following question: “How are you feeling today?” and our subjects would either press “Happy or Sad”. By recording and analyzing the results over the course of a week, month or better yet, an entire year, we could make generalizations about the emotional status of NYC residents (e.g., what is the general consensus, when (what days, months, seasons) are people most happy/sad) . We can also look at any pertinent historical context that has occurred within our timeline and see how local and global events shift people’s moods (e.g., political agendas, natural disasters). The “How are you feeling today?” question is just an example of a topic that I am personally interested in. We could ask our subjects a variety of questions and change them up regularly just to maintain their interest and keep them interacting with our device. And because the location is so convenient and easy to access/monitor, we could check our device daily to make sure it is operating correctly.
What sets this apart from an ordinary poll someone can take online is that ours requires a physical touch from someone who was really there at that specific moment. And that is a special quality that gives the collected data a genuine validity. The results are real feelings/opinions from real New Yorkers. Installing such a device would definitely alter the velocities of the subjects passing through our space and at the same time record valuable information we could all learn from. In the least bit, I think it would help break-up the congestion of students blocking the entrances and exits to the Tische building. Maybe this would give them something more constructive to do and somewhere less constricting to go.
