From first project I explored my motivation and interested in the informal urban practices studio. What I think informal urban is some wasted and low- utilization rate public space such as square, a path between two buildings, corner, ect. Informal urban practices are reusing that space to improving people’s living. Like the 2010 Shanghai Expo’s manifesto “better city, better life”.
REFLECTIONS
Project 1: Motivation (examples)
GRAP103 4 Design Studio 4 Ind Des
ON
Project 2: briefing: exploration In this project Oscar and I went to a unfamiliar suburb- Albert park to explore the ‘observation’ and ‘adjustment’. Actually, it is a small suburb just outside the city where golf, leisurely cycling, and the strolls around the park, Oscar and I noticed was the lack of people anywhere, we realised that our first impressions weren’t much different from what we had expected. Despite this, the area was interesting just the same and still had a lot to offer.
Project 4: Occupation This project we gained the knowledge about Collingwood and its informal urban practices through a knowledge exchange system where giving insight into practices in the suburb is rewarded by knowledge about Melbourne. We interviewed a woman who was heavily involved in the aboriginal communities in Collingwood and stopping public drinking in the Smith Street area.
PRACTICES
INFORMAL
URBAN 6 WEEKS
The two distinctly different time conditions we took was Saturday afternoon and Monday night The most difference thing was on the weekend people seemed to be coming from outside areas to visit Collingwood but on the Monday the people we encountered were usually residents of the area.
Project 3: intervention action In this project Elliot, Tim, Oscar and I (as two pairs) made a intervention action in public space. Our intervention action is “Game”-we set up some chalk Hop Scotch on the ground at different place. We found a lot of people walked right by even after noticing the hop scotch, some dodged the chalk and others like children and young girls will spring in their step spring in their step. People working in city with a fast pace, an easy public game (like hop scotch and twister) can remission their stress, and bring a smile.
Project 5: market trading We continue developing our “interest” and understanding more about informal urban practices by set up a marker trading in public space. I made 20 different postcards to reflect my interest of this studio and just set up a black cloth as my market stall, that’s easy to set up and warp up. I found people like market trading, what I think is people feel friendlier and more relaxed than they are shopping in department store. Some passages walk away and come back again. Furthermore, we exchange postcards and ideas with each others. To sum up, market trading is quite funny and people join that as well, but it is affected by lots weather factor. So it’s better to prepare a rain protection and easy-set up equipment.
Jiazhen Chen (KEN) S3191677
-Researching the ways people release themselves. -Researching smart materials -Designing structure of net. -How do people use the new space? -Sustainable/ECO design
Interest: What I’m interest in the alleyway, actually I am considering not only the road, but also the whole space between two buildings; usually people use that space as a car park, garbage dump or just leave that. Why not utilize that space?
The Gap PRACTICES
Investigate:
MAJOR PROJECT
With the developing of the city, people’s living tends to a fast-paced. The urban and life become much more heaviness than before. Why not just disburden yourself a moment, lie down (maybe hanging) your body, release your mind and bask in the sun? What I want to do is create a space for people to release themselves and re-inhabit this space of forgetting; infuse energy into the city. It can be a spider web, birder’s nest or net crossing two buildings.
It can be...
URBAN INFORMAL
Cafe
the Block Arcade
Key words cross
relax
fun
gap between two buildings
Living On Exhibit
chairs a plenty
Pieter Peerlings and Silvia Mertens. They have recently completed a clever office, residence and studio for themselves in what they call “Antwerp’s narrowest house”.
In 2003, for the Istanbul Biennial, Salcedo made an installation on an unremarkable street comprising 1,600 wooden chairs stacked precariously in the space between two buildings
connect
living open space
spider web
reuse public space bird's nest
interaction hammock
better city, better life Jiazhen Chen (KEN) S3191677