I want to redesign the Central Campus Transit Center. What is a helpful installation, true social engagement work? I know art can be social work but what makes a social engagement piece truly helpful. I don't want to just do something for a short period of time and then leave, the happiness and positivity taken with me and the state of the group I worked with left the way they were only to be helped for a moment. All my work in the past has been temporary, a moment in time people recount and say they remember that I did it. I want it to live on even if I am not there, I want the piece to withstand weather and zoning laws while actually existing in the depths of life.
What can I do?
I can say that I want to help people but how do I want to help people at the CCTC?
problems:
metal seats?? dividers between the seats??
strangely arranged bus time signs that don't work.
lack of heating for a cold weather school?
no shelter for the most popular bus, bursely-baits.
no place to show where to get on to the bus.
kind of a sad place to be for extended periods of time.
it's doing its job to a degree but how can be more helpful?
People jay walk when the buses don't come on time and that makes it super dangerous
People have the right of way at the cross walks which makes the commute double the length if people don't feel the need to stop for the buses to pass.
What I Did
Prior to this week I knew I wanted to make the cctc better, but I wasn't sure how beyond fixing the obvious problems. I then remembered the style of art I liked and the theory of experiencial art, where the materials and the architecture of the space affect the happiness levels of the user. Now I know I want to design the space so the user likes to be within it while also making sure that they feel like they can take in the moment they are currently experiencing and not need to think about the future or the past. I feel like when people wait at the bus stop they're thinking about where they have to go/ what they have to do, or, where they just came from/what they just did. I want to give people a place they they already have to be and make it an enjoyable time.
What I Accomplished
Now I am looking up architectural ideas on meditation and natural ways of relaxing by designing space as well as urban planning and bus stop requirements for safety.
What I Think I Should Do Next
Research how others have made installation art and other types of art where the person experiencing it feels at peace, and combine that research with research on bus stops and how to incorporate electricity in a more environmentally friendly manner.
