{ THE CHAIRS }

I'd made a couple of friends at a design conference I'd gone to a little while back, when I posted my blog on facebook, one of them namely Shanika Perera, replied saying it was similar to a project she had done. I found her project really interesting, so am posting it. Here's how she describes the project:


we were given the script of the play 'the chairs' by Eugene Ionesco as a starting point. i started thinking about benches and how people do more than just 'sit' on them. its a seat for waiting, thinking, writing, sleeping, eating etc. also, in london i noticed a lot of benches are dedicated to people. thus, i made a plate with 'in memory of '-ing' on it, kinda saying that this bench was dedicated to the millions of people who sit on it daily, to eat, drink, talk etc.

the other route i took was more for the fun aspect of taking all my belongings out of my home and to the bench outside!

Points of note:


- The project was conducted in London, UK
- Dedicating benches is a concept that hasn't quite caught on in Delhi, or India for that matter. (Maybe something to consider when taking the project forward to my degree project)
- Shanika mentions the fact that people do a lot more different things on benches, something that distinguishes a lot from other public places to sit. e.g Chairs, Ledges.

{ SOCIAL LIFE IN SMALL URBAN SPACES }

I managed to find this incredible film which is the result of a decade long reseach conducted in the 1980s. The study was about how people in cities (american cities, particularly New York) behave in public spaces, where they sit, what they do. Although the intentions were to provide architectural recommendations, a lot of the insights apply to my research. 

This is a small, strangely (but interestingly) edited clip from the film. It's the only one I could find on youtube. Along with the film is a book which I've also managed to get..will read through it.

{ THE FAMILIAR STRANGER: ANXIETY, COMFORT, AND PLAY IN PUBLIC SPACES }

I was very happy that Mrs. Sabnani (mentioned earlier) took time out to look at my blog. In her feedback she sent me a research paper titled THE FAMILIAR STRANGER by Eric Paulos and Elizabeth Goodman.

http://drzaius.ics.uci.edu/meta/classes/informatics161_fall06/papers/19-familiarstranger.pdf 

here's a link to it.

What I take from it:

- familiar strangers are individuals we regularly observe but do not interact with.

- familiar strangers may interact if (a) If they meet in a very different environment where their knowledge and place become apparent. (b) events occur that break the social construct e.g earthquake, fire..

- people often give their familiar strangers names or make fictional stories and backgrounds about their personal lives.

- the city works as a facilitator of commercial exchange, the city is a workplace, but the city is also a place for individuals and communities, a place for people to eat, drink, dance, meet friends and just hang out. For these the city provides leisure zones.

- current trends in mobile phone usage divide people from nearby strangers in their community, uncomfortable in strange situations or public spaces, people reach for their mobile phones, dramatically decreasing the chance of interacting with people outside their social group.
- The perception, role, and existence of familiar strangers are deeply embedded within the culture of communities. In communities of less than 150 people, i.e. "the nod line", members are obligated to exchange polite greetings when they meet. In cities, the opposite hold true. Urbanites are expected to maintain "civil inattention" in public places such as the subway platform or the elevator.
- Strangers take on different meanings throughout people's lives.