Experiential Investigations
These investigations anticipate what its could be like to experience a park, its inhabitation, and how it changes over time.
Experiential Investigations
These investigations anticipate what its could be like to experience a park, its inhabitation, and how it changes over time.
These investigations anticipate what its could be like to experience a park, its inhabitation, and how it changes over time.
Ambient Color Field
A transect (transverse section) is a mapping technique. It requires an observer to move along a path to document a sequence of occurrences. Rather than begin with the map of a real place, this investigation asks you to work in reverse: starting by composing a few sequences and then projecting what space or system would generate ambient evironments.
Instructions:
Construct five long color sequences. These can be long rectangles subdivided into bands of color. Imagine they tell the story of a moving body experiencing the light and color of a still unknown environment. The length of each subdivision could be calibrated to time.
Think about the quality of changes in intensity and character (hue, shade, tint). Are they suddent or gradient; smooth or striated? Solid colors might signify a constant encounter, gradients might signifying a time-elapsed change, overlapping colors might signify simultaneous experience.
Now establish a simple geometric boundary that represents the limits of park. Imagine each of the five linear sequences start somewhere beyond the boundary, pass through it, and then leave. Copy and re-arrange these lines so they cross through the boundary, meet inside it, and then diverge. If you imagine these lines are transects through a range of environments, they can represent the experience of different bodies meeting and divering in a color field.
Now extrapolate/interpolate from these transects to imagine the field between these zones. Now redraw, identifying the materials, objects, activites, or phenomenae that generates these colors.
Instructions:
Construct five long color sequences. These can be long rectangles subdivided into bands of color. Imagine they tell the story of a moving body experiencing the light and color of a still unknown environment. The length of each subdivision could be calibrated to time. Think about the quality of changes in intensity and character (hue, shade, tint). Are they suddent or gradient; smooth or striated? Solid colors might signify a constant encounter, gradients might signifying a time-elapsed change, overlapping colors might signify simultaneous experience.
Now establish a simple geometric boundary that represents the limits of park. Imagine each of the five linear sequences start somewhere beyond the boundary, pass through it, and then leave. Copy and re-arrange these lines so they cross through the boundary, meet inside it, and then diverge. If you imagine these lines are transects through a range of environments, they can represent the experience of different bodies meeting and divering in a color field.
Now extrapolate/interpolate from these transects to imagine the field between these zones. Now redraw, identifying the materials, objects, activites, or phenomenae that generates these colors.
Possible Tools:
Drawing on paper.Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Nodebox
Relevant Texts:
Albers, Josef, The Interaction of Color.Allen Stan, From Object to Field.
Other Inspiration:
Marcel Duchamp, Three Standard Stoppages (link)Olafur Eliason, Color Experiment #78 (link)
Olafur Eliason, Feelings are Facts (link)
Albers, Josef, Interaction.of.Color, Ch4.Ch7 (link)
ChicagoParks to Reference:
This investigation can begin in the imagination. It can also begin by observing an existing park.
Ambient Sound Field
A transect (transverse section) is a mapping technique. It requires an observer to move along a path to document a sequence of occurrences. Rather than begin with the map of a real place, this investigation asks you to work in reveree: to project what its like to walk through your imagination of tbe sound(s) of a place.
Instructions:
Construct five long sound sequences. Imagine they tell the story of a moving body encountering sounds while passing through an unseen environment.
These sequence may be literal sound compositions produced by collaging sounds together in software. They could be recordings made by moving through the city or another space. They could also be a graphical score, like Cornelius Cardew’s notational techniques of sound annotated with descriptive text.
Think about the qualities and changes in intensity. Are they abrubt, gradients; smooth or striated? Is there reverb, echo, interferene, or doppler effects?
Establish a simple geometric boundary that represents the limits of park. Imagine that the five sonic sequences start somewhere beyond the boundary, pass through it, and then leave. Create a notation for sequences so each cross or meet another somewhere inside the boundary and then diverge. If you imagine these lines are transects through a range of environments, they can represent the encounters of different bodies meeting and then diverging in a continuous sonic field. Try to extrapolate/interpolate from these transects to imagine the entire field within the boundary.
Instructions:
Construct five long sound sequences. Imagine they tell the story of a moving body encountering sounds while passing through an unseen environment.These sequence may be literal sound compositions produced by collaging sounds together in software. They could be recordings made by moving through the city or another space. They could also be a graphical score, like Cornelius Cardew’s notational techniques of sound annotated with descriptive text.
Think about the qualities and changes in intensity. Are they abrubt, gradients; smooth or striated? Is there reverb, echo, interferene, or doppler effects?
Establish a simple geometric boundary that represents the limits of park. Imagine that the five sonic sequences start somewhere beyond the boundary, pass through it, and then leave. Create a notation for sequences so each cross or meet another somewhere inside the boundary and then diverge. If you imagine these lines are transects through a range of environments, they can represent the encounters of different bodies meeting and then diverging in a continuous sonic field. Try to extrapolate/interpolate from these transects to imagine the entire field within the boundary.
Possible Tools:
Drawing on paper,Painting on paper
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe, Photoshop
Audacity (link)
Apple Garage Band
Nodebox
Relevant Texts:
John Cage, Composition as Process in Silence, pp.76-83. (link)John Cage, Eric Satie in Silence, pp.76-83. (link)
Cornelius Cardew, Treatise (link)
Eno, Brian, Systems: Generating and Organizing Variet in the Arts. (link)
Other Inspiration:
Janet Cardiff, “Sound Walks” (link)ChicagoParks to Reference:
This investigation can begin in the imagination. It can also begin by observing an existing park.
Ambient Climatic Field
A transect (transverse section) is a mapping technique. It requires an observer to move along a path to document a sequence of occurrences. Rather than begin with the map of a real place, this investigation asks you to work in reverse: to project what its like to walk through your imagination of different climatic conditions.
Instructions:
Construct five long climatic sequences. Imagine they tell the story of a moving body encountering a sequence of climatic conditions within an environment.
These sequence may be graphical compositions produced by hand, or via software, and annotated with descriptive text.
Think about the qualities and changes in temperature, humidity, pressure, light level. Think about climate across seasons and in changing weather conditions. Do these sequenes pass through both exterior and interior environments? Are the changes in the sequence abrubt, a gradient; smooth or striated?
Establish a simple geometric boundary to represent the limits of a park. Imagine that the five climatic sequences start somewhere beyond this boundary, pass through it, and then depart. Fold the sequences through the boundary so they enter, meet somewhere inside, and then diverge. Now imagine these lines are transects through a space. They can represent several bodies encountering the space, meeting then diverging. Using the transects as a starting point, extrapolate/interpolate the features of the entire boundary.
What happens if you render both landscape and architecture as architecture, rendering every climatic zone to produce a field of containers?
Instructions:
Construct five long climatic sequences. Imagine they tell the story of a moving body encountering a sequence of climatic conditions within an environment.These sequence may be graphical compositions produced by hand, or via software, and annotated with descriptive text.
Think about the qualities and changes in temperature, humidity, pressure, light level. Think about climate across seasons and in changing weather conditions. Do these sequenes pass through both exterior and interior environments? Are the changes in the sequence abrubt, a gradient; smooth or striated?
Establish a simple geometric boundary to represent the limits of a park. Imagine that the five climatic sequences start somewhere beyond this boundary, pass through it, and then depart. Fold the sequences through the boundary so they enter, meet somewhere inside, and then diverge. Now imagine these lines are transects through a space. They can represent several bodies encountering the space, meeting then diverging. Using the transects as a starting point, extrapolate/interpolate the features of the entire boundary.
What happens if you render both landscape and architecture as architecture, rendering every climatic zone to produce a field of containers?
Possible Tools:
Drawing on paper.Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Nodebox
Relevant Texts:
Heschong, Lisa, Delight, Thermal Delight in Architecture, Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 1979. (link)Allen Stan, From Object to Field. (link)
Allen Stan, Mapping the Unmappable: On Notation (link)
Other Inspiration:
Philipe Rahm (link)
ChicagoParks to Reference:
This investigation begins in the imagination.It can also begin as a map of an existing space.
Choreography of Movement
Rudolf Laban was a Hungarian dance theorist who was interested in the spatial structure of movement. Acting on this interest he published Schrifttanz (Written Dance) in 1928, which contained a precise system of notation to describe the elements of movements and patterns. Like writing, there are lines representing the performer’s point of view, with distinct symbols that work like an alphabet - each representing different movement forms. These symbols are drawn with secondary qualities, where its shape represents direction, length - duration, shade - intensity, placement on the line refers to the part of the anatomy that’s in action.
Instructions:
Select a park to investigate from the list provided. Plans and other data are available on Canvas.
Apply an existing notation, or invent your own, to examine the flows, rests, and qualities of movement in the existing environment of a park and its immediate surroundings.
Think about various modes of movement: trains, busses, cars, bicycles, strollers, skateboards, scooters, runners, pedestrians, swimmers, etc.
Think about the structures of movement and choreographies suggested by different regions: paths dedicated for movement, paths not dedicated, fields of play, fields of rest, empty fields, rooms, benches, blankets. Think about who or what is moving: adults, children, dogs, birds, clouds, wind, sun, Think about the quality of their movement: smooth, frenetic, rhytmic, slow, fast.
Instructions:
Select a park to investigate from the list provided. Plans and other data are available on Canvas.Apply an existing notation, or invent your own, to examine the flows, rests, and qualities of movement in the existing environment of a park and its immediate surroundings.
Think about various modes of movement: trains, busses, cars, bicycles, strollers, skateboards, scooters, runners, pedestrians, swimmers, etc.
Think about the structures of movement and choreographies suggested by different regions: paths dedicated for movement, paths not dedicated, fields of play, fields of rest, empty fields, rooms, benches, blankets. Think about who or what is moving: adults, children, dogs, birds, clouds, wind, sun, Think about the quality of their movement: smooth, frenetic, rhytmic, slow, fast.
Possible Tools:
Drawing on paperAdobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Nodebox
Relevant Texts:
Allen Stan, From Object to Field. (link) Allen Stan, Mapping the Unmappable: On Notation (link)
Other Inspiration:
Louis Kahn’s Traffic Study project, Philadelphia, PA. (link)Marey’s Chronophotography (link)
Suggested Parks:
Humboldt ParkGarfield Park
Calumet Park
Pulaski Park
Warren Park
2025 Spring — Second Nature