informal urban practices

Tarp Surfing… It’ll turn a grown man into a grom, and a grom into a grown man. Believe that.

By Ivan Hooi and Helen Dendrinos

On 31st of July, We visited our nominated unfamiliar territory of Footscray. We walked around reviewing and observing the informal urban practices of Footscray market, Footscray station and then drove around the streets of Footscray. We documented by taking random photo’s of people in these environments.

This suburb felt like being in another country and not in Australia. The smells, the site and the people around this area played a major role in this. But taking a closer look at the photographs that we took, shows that it is a typical city in Australia as they go about their day to day living such as waiting to cross to road whilst doing some shopping, getting around or going home by public transport and parents taking their children to the local park to play at the swings.

1) What is it you are interested in the informal urban practices studio?

I’m interested in interacting with different designers to experience different points of view, and opportunities to communicate with people of different age, gender, communities and culture.

2) What is your motivation?

I would like to promote positive human behavior using public spaces.  I aim to create new ideas for communication within a space to inspire change, create opportunities for people to participate and feel better about them self.  I am interested in experimenting with space for environmentally friendly activities, public health, and social networking.

3) What are you hoping to learn in the studio?

I would like to learn and understand how people react to public environments from various cultural perspectives and different design disciplines.

Interested in?

Learning from an interdisciplinary environment involving different opinions, definitions and outlooks towards informal urban spaces. I’m interested in analysing relationships between intended uses in urban spaces and how society acknowledges or ignores designer intent, and the consequences of such behavioural patterns and choices determining experiences within those urban spaces. Altering function, experience or the nature of a space and observing the after affects of such change. The perception of ownership of a public space and the limit of acceptable behaviours according to perceived rights. Broadening functional and behavioural uses within a limited urban space, investigating stereotypical modular trends and how to break out of stereotypical design cycles for predetermined urban spaces. The need for objects to determined uses or behaviour within a space and the possibilities of encouraging behaviour through other sensory perceptions. I’m also interested in tackling the concept of pathways, and why a large proportion of urban space is designated for ‘travel’ functions rather than evolving other bahaviour within pathway space.

Motivation?

I wished to study broader disciplines of design and to research concepts of universal design in relation to spatial design. I am intrigued to discover how other disciplines will tackle similar projects with diverse outcomes. I was motivated by the broad spectrum of this subject and the multiple possibilities to shape our own projects to a degree.

Want to learn?

To learn how to perceive informal urban spaces with a multitude of design possibilities, observing, interacting and experiencing social behaviour to promote diverse responses beneficial to society, as well as focusing towards universal design and social trends towards future urban spaces.

I’ve learnt space design in foundation course before.In that project, I need to get inspirations from fashion design and reflect to “space”. I like this kind “cross” course.I am curious to know what intrtior design student learing.In this studio, I am hoping to know what is relationship between interior design and industrial design or the interactive of people ,object and public space. How to manage lots people with a small space? Does city chang people’s life? I think this course will be interesting to find that way.

The motivation behind me choosing this studio is because we get the chance to work with students in different disciplines of design, which i have not had a chance to do so far in my studies. What interests me more specifically about urban spaces is that although they may be designated for a certain activity they are always a hub for social interaction and other human interaction. My motivation/goals for this course are to create a level of work that i am happy with and proud of, and to improve on some specific skills relating to design.

I’m interested  in oblivious interaction. People interacting within a space or environment without formally acting upon it. What causes people to react in certain ways based on stimuli that is presented to them. As well other peoples reaction to your actions within a space. Cycling, a person’s emotion and connections within a space or environment is extremely different to when they are walking or driving a car. A cyclists interaction with the road, pedestrians, motorists within a city or outer city environment. They way cyclists use the free flowing ability to combat different objectives set by the traffic.

My love for cycling, how every cyclist reacts to situations within an environment in a split second. With one reaction usually meaning success and the other resulting in injury. How cyclists move throughout a city environment. With saying how obsessed i am with cycling this is not my main area of concern, i’m motivated to explore why and how people can use space where that spaces original use has been discarded.

I previously completed a combined studio, i found it very difficult but felt that i have learned a great deal from my peers within that class. Knowledge that will help me with my industrial design. I want to expand my knowledge of other areas of design to then further help me in my design field. To learn more in depth, peoples reactions to situations within a space.

Interest in Course

I am interested in looking at space and the ways it can be used, as well as the cross discipline nature of the subject.

Motivation

Finding new ways in which I can use spaces that traditionally only have a single purpose.

What I want to get out of this Course

learning to see space from many different view points, in terms of its use and perceived use. Working to create collaborations rather than individual projects. Gaining an understanding of the physiology of why people use space the way they do.

The main reason I enter this studio is the opportunity to learn from other disciplines, and train myself to work with people with a different background.

Also I am curious how can industrial design contribute to a space, how products and spaces are related.

I did 2 years of TAFE before entering industrial design 3^rd year, so although its 3^rd year, I am like a first year ID student, wanting to learn everything, as much as possible.

The broad spectrum of different social conditions studied in this course appeals to me. I like the idea of adapting existing spaces and things to create something new. Insight into the many ways that people improve or change their environment will be valuable in my design. I also hope to gain new perspectives from the interaction with the different schools of design. I expect it will be both fun and interesting to learn about these informal urban practices. It is appealing that there is potential for ethical design within the parameters of these topics, yet also it could incorporate a theme of fun or enjoyment. Overall I hope to heighten my awareness of design through the broad  cultural context that this studio offers.