Becky Walton

I am truly intrigued by how people move through a space, where they are going, are they stopping to rest or just passing through?  This assignment is perfect for site analysis, especially if the videos were a bit longer.  You can even take a long video and speed it up for time lapsed photography of circulation like my first video post.  This is the technique I used in one studio last fall to analyze the circulation of the Fine Arts center deck.  No one seems to use it, but hundreds of people pass by it every day.  What would make this space more attractive?  How would you get people to stop and stay?  This kind of photography can be quite revealing as to how people use a space.

The second video is at Brooklyn Bridge Park just after we passed over the footbridge.  It shows several layers of circulation, people jogging, walking and biking in several directions.  Notice one jogger even switches directions by taking a different path across a bridge at almost 180 degrees.  It shows how successfully popular this park is already, and it’s not even finished yet!

The third is of Grand Army Plaza, mostly because I wanted to show vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic and how they all cohesively move through the space in harmony, each taking their turn. (With a few honks and road rages thrown in I’m sure!)  But, honestly, there is a rhythm to the movement of the city, and an organized chaos that you start to understand after just a few days of city life.

Have a great volunteer day, see some of you tomorrow!