Unit1: Methods of investigating–week1

Presentation of 3-4 experiments using different methods of investigating.

(Oct 1,2024)

Psychogeography reveals that space is not only a physical presence but also a site of psychological and emotional experience. This inspired me to explore how spaces influence people’s emotions and behavior. So I chose to focus on a park—a public space that hosts human activities. 

At first, I took some pictures of the larger park scenes, and later, I focused on some of the traces left by human activities in the park. I think it can give me a better sense of what this park might have been through.

And then I tried to manipulate the picture to make the marks more obvious (through Photoshop).

Walking in the park, I often wonder what people used to do there. So, I tried to rebuild the park. I chose a few things from the park that impressed me and placed them in the same space. I tried to add characters (from different backgrounds)to make sense of the story, and I wanted to make certain connections through something similar.

I made a simple hand-drawn map. I collected and recorded the trash people left in different parts of the park to form a map. Based on this I guess what this place offers people.

In addition to this, I wanted to try to record the trash left behind by these people with cyanotype, but some details were difficult to show.

Summary and reflection：

After the first week of work, I realized that I had spent too much time on “post-production” and had neglected the importance of “real observation”. In the tutorial, the teachers and other students gave me great inspiration. I wanted to focus on recording the remains of people in the park, make more observations in the park, and find relevant methods…