[in]? REVALUING MATERIALS AND SPACES FORUM FOR ENGAGEMENT
JANINE BROERING, SARAH ROWLEY, QUINN DELANY, MEG MCMILLAN
CHALLENGING SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE
MAKING PEOPLE QUESTION WHAT IS RUBBISH “REVOLUTION IS NOT SHOWING LIFE TO PEOPLE, BUT MAKING THEM LIVE” --DEBORD, GUY
CHALLENGING PEOPLES’ RELATIONSHIP AND ATTITUDE TO WHAT THE CITY REPRESENTS AND WAYS THEY ENGAGE WITH ITS CONTENT
(SITUATIONIST INTERNATIONAL ANTHOLOGY)
HIGHLIGHTING THE RUBBISH THAT EXISTS IN THE CITY AND CHALLENGING WHAT IS KEPT PRIVATE
vite
RMIT
TEST DURING THE 8 X 7 PRESENTATION NIGHT, WE PLACED A BOX WITH A SERIES OF HOLES CUT OUT OF THE TOP AMONGST THE AUDIENCE. THE IDEA WAS THAT PEOPLE WOULD PLACE THEIR EMPTY BEER BOTTLES UPSIDE DOWN INTO THE HOLES TO REPURPOSE WHAT WOULD NORMALLY BE THOUGHT OF AS TRASH. WE THEN LIT THE BOX FROM UNDERNEATH IN AN EFFORT TO CREATE AN AIR OF PRECIOUSNESS AROUND OUR REPURPOSED OBJECTS.
LOCATION ADDRESS RMIT BUILDING 8 LEVEL 11
RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS • SOMETIMES IT’S BEST TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE - SHOW PEOPLE WHAT TO DO AND THEN THEY WILL FOLLOW SUIT • POSITIONING AND VISIBILITY ARE TWO VERY IMPORTANT FACTORS WHEN ASKING PEOPLE TO ENGAGE • WE DECIDED AFTER THIS TEST TO TRY A MORE PRESCRIPTIVE APPROACH - GIVING PEOPLE INSTRUCTION ON WHAT TO DO RATHER THAN EXPECTING THAT THEY UNDERSTAND STRAIGHT AWAY.
2
1
TEST The idea of [in]trigue was to attract people in public to share their opinion on cardboard posters with perforated holes. The location, two bus stops along Elizabeth Street, contributed to the aim inasmuch as people spent their time waiting for trams and buses which provided time to think and react to the given structure. Cardboard, a recycled material, here used as a matter of advertisement as well as a message board exposes a possible utilization for recycled materials.
Result People started playing with the poster‘s structure, writing their names or just randomly pricking some of the circles out. It was less successfull to involve a whole group of people at the same time, people might have not fully picked up the actual idea of this project but we possibly caused food for thought in terms of using and wasting new materials for advertising instead of utilizing recycled materials.
Location
Elizabeth Street
trigue
sert
1
2 3 4 5 6 7
TEST MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC WERE ASKED TO PLACE THEIR EMPTY COFFEE CUPS OR WATER BOTTLES INTO A ROUND RECESS. THE AIM WAS TO TEST PEOPLE’S WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE BY INSTRUCTION WITHOUT BEING GIVEN ANY REASON. IT ALSO ATTEMPTS TO GAUGE THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT THAT OCCURS WITHOUT PROMPTING.
LOCATION ADDRESS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
RMIT BOWEN LANE RMIT BOWEN LANE A’BECKETT ST SIDE OF STATE LIBRARY/MR TULK’S CNR SWANSTON & LONSDALE STS SIDE OF PHONE BOX, BOURKE ST CITY SQUARE, SWANSTON & COLLINS STS
LOCATIONS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS
5
1
• ONLY LOCATION 5 WAS SUCCESSFUL. POSSIBLY DUE TO THE NEARBY TRAM STOP - PEOPLE HAVE MORE TIME TO LOOK AROUND AND RECOGNISE THEIR SURROUNDINGS • POSSIBLY COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SUCCESSFUL IN HIGHER CONCENTRATION PER LOCATION = RECOGNITION • NEED TO VERY CAREFUL OF SAFETY ISSUES IN PUBLIC SPACE • WE BEGAN TO QUESTION WHETHER MAYBE THE BRANDING ELEMENT IS ACTUALLY TOO FORMAL • MANY RECEPTACLES WERE TAKEN AWAY BY AUTHORITIES MAYBE WE NEED TO SEARCH FOR MORE SUBTLE LOCATIONS
duce
vi
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at queen victoria market
TEST:
WE CREATED PIECES THAT SLOT INTO ONE ANOTHER WITH OUR LOGO AND BLOG ADDRESS ON THEM. WE TOOK THEM TO THE QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET ON A BUSY, SUNNY DAY AND SET UP IN THE MIDDLE, WHERE PEOPLE CROSS THE STREETS BETWEEN THE INDOOR AND OUTDOOR PARTS OF THE MARKET. WE FIRST PUT TOGETHER A FEW OF THE PIECES TO GIVE PEOPLE AN IDEA OF WHAT COULD BE DONE WITH THEM. THEN WE STARTED PASSING OUT PIECES AND ASKING PEOPLE IF THEY WANTED TO JOIN IN BUILDING A STRUCTURE, AND THAT THEY COULD PUT A PIECE WHEREVER THEY WANTED. WE ALSO LAYED PIECES NEXT TO THE STRUCTURE SO PEOPLE COULD JUST PICK THEM UP AND ADD TO IT. WHEN ASKED WHAT WE WERE DOING, WE EXPLAINED THAT WE WERE WANTING TO SHOW HOW YOU CAN USE RECYCLABLE, EVERYDAY, BASIC MATERIALS TO CREATE REALLY INTERESTING THINGS.
RESULTS:
WE RECEIVED REALLY GOOD REACTIONS FROM PEOPLE AT THE MARKET. WE FOUND THAT CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS WERE MOST DRAWN TO WHAT WE WERE DOING. SOME PEOPLE WOULD TAKE THE PIECE WE GAVE THEM TO ADD TO THE STRUCTURE AND THAT WAS IT, WHILE OTHERS WOULD PICK UP ANOTHER PIECE TO ADD MULTIPLE PIECES. A MAN WHO WORKED AT THE MARKET ASKED US ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING AND SUGGESTED WE TALK TO THE LADY THAT IS IN CHARGE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND RECYCLING AT THE MARKET ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DOING ANOTHER PROJECT AND GETTING MATERIALS FROM THE MARKET. OVERALL, IT WAS A SUCCESS, AND WE FELT LIKE PEOPLE ENJOYED THEMSELVES AND UNDERSTOOD WHAT WE WERE DOING AND OUR REASONING BEHIND IT.
duce
at city square
TEST We took our slot card experiment to Melbourne City Square to test reaction and engagement. As this is a popular place for corporate Melbourne to lunch, we were hoping that the City Square would provide us with a different atmosphere to that of the Queen Vic Market. Unfortunately this was not entirely the case on the day that we visited due to a cycling event which created a similarly festive vibe.
Result Once again, we found kids to be the most easily attracted to the project and so we actively focused on attracting adults to our activity. The reception was mixed, with a relatively equal number of people refusing and accepting our offer. Amongst the acceptees, we were pleasantly surprised at the readiness and williness to engage, although we did find that the engagement was kept to a much shorter passage of time than that of the children. BY attracting kids we got the oppotunity to talk their parents and thereby spread our initial idea of challenging society‘s attitude towards rubbish.x
Location
re
sert
DEGRAVES ST DAY 1 THURS-FRI 10:00PM-7:30AM TEST WE LASERCUT LANTERNS FROM CARDBOARD THAT WAS FOUND IN LANEWAYS NEAR DEGRAVES ST. WE THEN HUNG THE LANTERNS ALONG DEGRAVES ST BETWEEN THE CAFES THAT ARE LOCATED THERE WITH THE HOPES THAT PEOPLE GETTING THEIR MORNING COFFEE WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO SEE THEM AS A RE-INSERTION OF THAT CARDBOARD.
DEGRAVES ST
DEGRAVES ST DAY 2 THURSDAY 4:30AM-7:30AM
TEST AFTER MAKING AN IMPACT WITH THE CAFE OWNERS DURING THE FIRST TEST WE DECIDED TO TARGET THEM FOR THE SECOND ONE. WE PUT LATERNS ON THE DOORS OF THE CAFES WITH A NOTE ATTACHED TELLING THEM ABOUT THE MEANING BEHIND THE LANTERNS AND HOW THEY WERE A GIFT FOR THEM TO USE RATHER THAN THROW AWAY.
DEGRAVES ST
re
sert
NIGHT
TEST
CRATES
DAY
LOCALITY OF CRATES TO INSTALLATION SITE
VEHICLE ACCESS
WE MOVED THE MILK CRATES FROM THE BACK OF DUCKBOARD PLACE TO THE ENTRANCE OF DUCKBOARD PLACE AND BUILT A WALL WITH A DOORWAY LARGE ENOUGH FOR AN ADULT TO PASS THROUGH. THE STRUCTURE WAS OVERTLY OBVIOUS FROM FLINDERS LANE
INSTALL
INSTALLATION LIFESPAN
DUCKBOARD PL UNION PL
PUBLICISING THE PRIVATE
DEGRAVES DAY 1 DEGRAVES DAY 2
TIME (HOURS) 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
MIXED RESPONSES BAR OWNERS / SECURITY GUARDS ISSUED AUTHORITY/OWNERSHIP OVER THE LANE AND ORDERED US TO TAKE DOWN THE CONSTRUCTION
PASSERSBY WERE INTRIGUED AND HAPPILY SURPRISED BY THE STRUCTURE. THEY TREATED IT AS A NOVELTY AND INTERACTED WITH IT ACCORDINGLY.
10
11
12
13
14
15+
DUCKBOARD THURSDAY 11:30pm - 1:30am