Community Event in Sherman ParkConstruction of the Planter Installation |
Process Behind the InstallationsTo really understand the Sherman Park community and how they see things, our studio decided it would be beneficial to our research and the neighborhood to build an installation that they could utilize and call their own. After meeting with community representatives and getting a feel for the neighborhood, we were encouraged to include flowers in some way with our design.
This proposal was predicated on the idea that when people see beautification happening around them, that they will be enticed to beautify their own homes; therefore starting a chain reaction and cycle of investment in how the blocks look. Camille Mays, the representative behind the flower idea, had been doing this in her own work for many years. She felt that it really did help make places more beautiful and inspired hope in residents. In beginning our design process, we quickly figured out what materials we would use and came up with basic guidelines which we thought played-to the strengths of things that already existed in Sherman Park. For example: the lively porch culture that they have. During review, I proposed a modular kind of structure for the planters. It was cube based, each cube being at an optimal seating height, but we had free reign with the arrangement of the cubes. This design developed into something that the rest of our studio could use, and became the basis for all five of the different installations that are out in the community now. Before construction started however, we set up a community meeting where we could interact with residents and get feedback on what was really important to them, what issues they felt should be tackled and what other strengths they thought we could use to our advantage. This was in the form of a cookout, where we had tables set up with games, to collect information in an interactive way, and have a little fun in the process. Starting to build our catalytic installation was one of the most fun parts of the whole experience. Knowing this planter would go out in the community and actually be used, drove us to put lots of time and effort into the construction. My group and I ended up with a design which was similar to the infamous toy: Lincoln Logs. We cut every notch into more than 100 wooden boards and assembled them in the woodshop to make sure they went together nicely. When we got out to the site to assemble our final design, we decided to screw every single board together, so that this installation would be quite permanent and would withstand the test of time. The final product sits between the sidewalk and the street as a lounging bench that ties both sides of the sidewalk together in one big interactive sitting and beautification area. |