a bronx love story
CareLab
Prepare by Melissa Bosley
A BRONX LOVESTORY
looks to craft new narratives about The Bronx by weaving together a series of stories (projects) in co-creation with Bronxites. The power of storytelling allows Bronxites to become authors of our own stories. With that power we gain and learn the importance of self-determination and have the imagination to actualize a different Bronx.
Why ?
The Citizens’s Committee for Children of New York (CCC) creates a community risk index by combining the following datasets, health, housing, education and issues specific to teens and youths. With this data as of 2020 the Bronx ranks the highest. CCC statistics highlight the socioeconomic neglect felt by Bronxites and with that we are unable to reimagine our communities.
Projects Become Stories...
Let’s Map Love
is an exploration of the Bronx, of the self and a brief introduction into what the future of urban planning can be, a co-collaborative, investigative process rooted in the practice of love. It is an initiative designed to challenge and empower youth and adults from the Bronx to be agents of change in their lives and local neighborhoods. Our goal is to shift the narrative through storytelling, making Bronxites authors of our own stories. With that power we gain and learn the importance of selfdetermination and have the imagination to actualize a different Bronx.
Our Youth Program
Let’s Map Love is a youth-initiative designed to challenge and empower Bronx youth, ages 12-18, to be agents of change in their lives and local neighborhood. Our goal is to craft a new narrative that explores what love can look like and feel like in public. Youth will be prompted to imagine a different Bronx.
Throughout the program, youth will: explore their local neighborhood using all of their senses, while preserving through mapping - #Emotional-Archiving (What do you feel in this space?) study the design of their neighborhood and evaluate why and how it was constructed. use storytelling to construct a love-based narrative about the people in their community (by centering the experiences of Bronxites)
Culminating Projects: This project’s goal is to co-produce a map with Bronx youth about the spaces and places that both exhibit and are void of love. The culminating project will encapsulate youth’s findings from:
Walking Tours: With a purpose; by using their senses, smell, sight, touch and hearing youth can begin to explore their local neighborhood through a different lens and understand how the built environment is a design process.
Capturing: Using accessible cameras to photograph the spaces and places they have identified as “love is here” and “love is not here”, they are able to document how they feel about a particular space. The use of other media formats like journaling, video and audio can also be used to document time and space of feeling.
Mapping at Scale: Once identified and captured, the power of mapping is a snapshot and telling of each youth's love story, how they connect with the spaces they encounter and don't connect with. Investigating their why's, youth can use their maps as a way to advocate and imagine a different Bronx
*photo essay from walking tour
Creating community leaders and advocates
Vote For Love
will be a series of public engagements, prompting Bronxites to engage with term love. With the use of chorolpast signs a material traditional used for political campaigns, vote for love is project advocating to make love public.
This project can be replicated with Bronx youth, allowing them to learn how to engage with the public, preparing them to be agents of change in thier communities.
*renders of chorolpast signs
On December 1, 2023
the below sign was left at the intersection of Watson Ave and Stratford Ave in the Soundview section of the Bronx. The chorolpast sign in English and Spanish prompts those who pass it to answer the following: “ Describe a place in the Bronx that you love and Describe a place in the Bronx that breaks your heart”.
Results
Returning to the intersection, there was some engagement but not the intended type.
On December 2, 2023
On Day 2, with the help of family, I stood at the intersection for 2 hours engaging with the public. We were able to record about 15 responses, no one struggled to answer the prompt, the culture of the Bronx is what people loved the most and parks.
Results Standing next to the sign helped direct those and understand the purpose. Althought both prompts were translated, people still needed help understanding the prompt, which help with the results. Also speaking Spanish is key, Soundview has a large percent of spanish speakers, any engagements moving forward will need a spanish speaker.
*photos from 1st public engagment
Artisthetool andloveisthe practice
IN CONCLUSION
a bronx love story is an ongoing and evolving initiative designed to challenge and transform Bronxites relationship with our communities, using art as a tool and love as a practice. The focus on youth is an acknowledgment of their potentials and growth in a borough that has been failed systematically. Our stories and the ablity to tell and share empowers us to be the agents of change.
