Studio: Future of Play
SUPERVISOR: Eleni Alexandis & Robert Lundberg
Project: ElectroPlay
(Electronic / Electromagnetic & Play)
(Electronic / Electromagnetic & Play)
Type: Speculative Streetscape
Year: 2045
Site: Swanston St, Carlton, Melbourne (Queensberry tram station to Lincoln Square tram station)
ElectroPlay is a playable streetscape revamp of a well-known Swanston St, specifically located in the northern part of Carlton. Inspired by the fun musical spirit of the street buskers and musicians playing on the very same street in the CBD and the idea of playable city movement, the proposal aims to transform and elevate the dullness and mundanity of the existing neighborhood area into an electronic musical streetscape. The proposal contains a variety of small electric installation pockets as a deconstructed take on the basic types of musical instruments and devices.
With play starting to expand to more than just a playground for kids with traditional slides, swings, and seesaws, my project, ElectroPlay, aims to bring play into our living cityscape, as it envisions the city of the future will not just have any playgrounds. Still, the cityscape itself will be the playground for everyone of all ages. Therefore, this raises the question for my project: How can spatial design activate the currently existing neighborhood area into a playable cityscape in the future?
diagram
The project started with the idea of me just simply walking down the street in the city almost every single day. Connecting between two ends of Flinder Station in the CBD on the south and the Melbourne Cemetry in Carlton on the north, one notable difference I have noticed from years of living nearby is the atmosphere. Despite being located on the very same street, the CBD always offers this exciting gathering of eateries, street arts, events, and musical atmospheres from the street musician and buskers that ties altogether, Carlton, on the other hand, exudes an opposite type of energy and mood. The more you roam down the northern part of the street, the quieter and more peaceful it gets, or even scarier and unsafer, as it is not a prominent urban attractor like the CBD where all of the play can happen. Therefore, I want to introduce, channel, and elevate that same festive spirit of musicality that reflects the current issue of lack of play in the site into my design which will encourage passersby to engage and enjoy the experience more as they enter the space.
Noting a diversity in height across the buildings surrounding the site, I want to utilize that by tracing the city skyline and derive it into a curving, wavy form, and structure, resembling a musical line, a soundwave, that still responds and bases the site context. This shape is used as the central backbone for the design, incorporated into an interactive musical path as well as both sides of the facade with musical notes.
In the sense of creating a musical-themed playable streetscape, my proposal consists of a variety of playable installations as a 'deconstructed' take on the main types of musical instruments (brass, woodwind, string, & percussion). Each installation will have an electronic capacity sensor where people can joyfully interact to create different kinds of electric sounds resembling different kinds of musical instruments, such as the piano runway, the xylophone labyrinth, the wind and brass garden, or even the sitting lounges within the gimmick of DJ beatbox or karaoke stage.
presentation drawing
Extending over 300 meters in length as an elevated platform, this neighborhood-scale intervention aims to transform the dull existing street into an eventful park offering a unique urban journey. The existing grey asphalt of the street gives way to compliment the bold and bright colors of the intervention, turning the streetscape into an eye-catching elevated urban landmark.
render
As a background color, a soothing, cerulean blue defines the base as negative spaces filled with pockets of playable musical instruments for pedestrians to slow down and linger by and interact. Contrasting the cool and calmness of the straight blue lane comes an electric musical path of intertwining bright yellow and aqua, which serves as platforms for leisure and social interactions, activating the site into a playful plaza that encourages pedestrians to wind around in freedom and versatility.
The musical path would be equipped with an electromagnetic sensor mesh underneath and covered with diffused acrylic panels above to activate the musical notes popping with neon lights once we interact by stepping on.
Poster
Award
Ending my 3-year-long degree came with the great news that this very final graduate project was proud and honored to earn the faculty's top award "Highly Commended Project" for the studio 'Future of Play' at the 2022 graduate exhibition MADA Now.
