THE CITY AS A GALLERY OF NARRATIVES

ATHENA CARTER / THESIS 2012 / BRIAN PRICE

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Empty Lot Abandoned Building Empty Storefront Existing Plaza

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WILLIA M ST 19TH ST

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BY INVESTIGATING THE SIDEWALK AS A NEGLECTED TERRITORY I EXPLORED THE POSSIBILITIES FOR USER INTERACTION WITH THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT THAT IT NAVIGATES THROUGH. WITHIN DOWNTOWN OAKLAND, THE TERRITORY THAT WAS ONCE DESIGNATED FOR COMMERCIAL USE, NOW ABANDONED STOREFRONTS, COULD PROVIDE A NEW APPROPRIATION OPPORTUNITY: THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF THE VISUAL LANDSCAPE WITHIN THE CITY. HOW CAN ARCHITECTURE ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE THIS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY ALLOW FOR A COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE USING THE LENS OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA? LOOKING AT SOCIAL MEDIA THERE IS A NEED TO REPRESENT OURSELVES, OUR OPINIONS, AND OUR NARRATIVES. ALSO OAKLAND IS KNOWN FOR ITS ARTIST COMMUNITY AND NEED FOR POLITICAL EXPRESSION. MY PROPOSED CONCEPT IS THAT OF TRANSFORMING THE CITY INTO A GALLERY OF NARRATIVES: BOTH IN THE PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL REALMS. WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL NARRATIVE ILLUSTREATES ONE OPINION AND REPRESENTS ONE PERSONS UNDERSTANDING OF THE CITY, THE COLLECTION OF NARRATIVES CAN ALTER THE LANDSCAPE OF THE CITY, CHANGE HOW THE CITY ITSELF IS CONCIEVED, AND REPRESENT A COLLECTIVE IDENTITY. WITHIN THE SPACE OF THE SIDEWALK, THE INSERTION OF OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT WITHIN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY PROVIDES A TYPE OF PAUSE WITHIN THE PEDESTRIANS EXPERIENCE --RATHER THAN FOCUSING ON THE TRAJECTORY ASPECT OF DESTINATION, THIS CONCEPT WOULD REASSERT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EXPERIENCE OF WALKING THROUGH THE CITY. THE PAUSE ALSO PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE THE INDIVIDUAL WITH AN AWARENESS OF THE PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIP TO THE SITE AND OTHERS AROUND YOU THE INDIVIDUALS PART IN THE LARGER COLLECTIVE CONTEXT.
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HOW CAN ARCHITECTURE USE THE LENS OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA AS A WAY OF MAXIMIZING NEGLECTED URBAN SPACES TO PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLECTIVE PARTICIPATION AND INTERACTION WITHIN THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT? AND WHAT POSSIBILITIES WOULD THIS NEW ARCHITECTURE PROVIDE FOR THE CITY AND ITS COMMUNITY?

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BROADWAY : NEGLECTED URBAN TERRITORY -- SIDEWALK

BROADWAY : NEGLECTED VERTICAL URBAN SPACES

USERS ARE ABLE TO POST PICTURES OR STORIES THAT ARE VIRTUALY OVERLAYED ON THE CITY

MOBILE ACTS AS A LOCATOR AND THE DISPLAY CHANGES COLOR AS YOU WALK PAST

UN-ACTIVATED
NO PEOPLE

SEMI-ACTIVATED
1 PERSON

ACTIVATED
MULTIPLE PEOPLE
TRANSPARENT AMOLED DISPLAY SCREEN ALLOWS PHOTON LIGHT PARTICLES TO PASS THROUGH PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS CONVERT PHOTON LIGHT INTO ENERGY FOR AMOLED DISPLAY SCREEN

WITHIN NEGLECTED STOREFRONTS THE AMOLED SCREENS ARE ON IF STOREFRONTS BECOME OCCUPIED AMOLED SCREENS TURN ON AT NIGHT

TRANSPARENT PHOTOVOLTAICS MAINTAIN VISIBLITY TO INTERIOR IF STOREFRONT BECOMES OCCUPIED.

POST

USERS CAN POST IMAGES DIRECTLY TO SCREEN USING APP

DAYTIME ENERGY STORAGE / WHEN STOREFRONTS BECOME OCCUPIED

NIGHTIME / DAYTIME NEGLECTED STOREFRONT

OUTTER CASING INNER CASING

DISPLAYED IMAGE

WINDOWS ARE EXPOSED TO LARGE AMOUNTS OF POTENTIAL SOLAR ENERGY. HARVESTING THIS ENERGY TO PROVIDE ELECTRICITY FOR AMOLED SCREEN PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPROPRIATE THE NEGLECTED STOREFRONT.
POLORIZING FILM

GLASS FILTER TRANSPARENT PHOTOVOLTAIC FILM ACTIVE-MATRIX ORGANIC LED SCREEN (AMOLED)

THE APPROPRIATION OF A BLANK SIDE OF A BUILDING FOR THE PROJECTION OF SUBMITTED ART, WHICH IS SELECTED BY ONLINE COLLECTIVE VOTING

ART IS DISPLAYED THROUGH PHYSICAL PRESENCE WITHIN REAPPROPRIATED PARKING LOT AFTER BUSINESS HOURS

SEMI-ACTIVATED

UN-ACTIVATED

=
1 UNIT

ACTIVATED