Semester Wrap-Up

I haven't posted in a while, the pressures of the end of the semester took their toll.

From the last post, I had decided to focus more on the advice given by the first set of reviewers. The park evolved into a folly park that used a layering system of obstacles, utilizing the concept of denial to create intrigue.

Leaving the safety wall in place as is, and puncturing it with holes that allow people to either climb over the wall or crawl under it, make up the first obstacle. This forces those who choose to enter to make a conscious decision about entering the park.

Once inside, the system of stacked lumber members, bent rebar, dirt piles, pipes, etc., still remain. The various areas of the park were changed to be more vague in terms of use, so that people would determine for themselves how to interact with the park's elements.

After exploring the park, people would notice from a couple of clues (rebar "net" covering a tunnel, and pipes blocking a tunnel entrance) that there was something else going on. There are three entrances throughout the park that allow one to enter into an underground tunnel system. Once here, one can explore the "catacombs" of the site, and find that an underground waterfall exists, however, it is blocked off by the pipes and members from above which pierce the ground and restrict you from entering the space like bars of a jail cell. From here, one can also see that there exists another two tunnels separate from the main tunnel level, which appear to allow access to the waterfall. Exploring the site further reveals that the never ending caisson hole has a helix of stacked members allowing one to climb down at their own risk to more tunnels. However, these tunnels are also blocked off from the waterfall, only further away from the tunnel's end.

A folly park above, and a mysterious catacomb puzzle underneath, the dual nature of the park tests curiosities and imaginations, but only if one is willing. A clear counterpoint
to nearby McCarren Park, a typical community park with walking paths and baseball diamonds. People can explore the site and maneuver through obstacles as if they are achieving something, only to find a carrot held out in front of their nose. There is always something they cannot quite reach, cannot quite enjoy, and ultimately, cannot alter in any way. In many ways, this is analogous to the current situation of Williamsburg in regards to its many stalled construction sites. Therefore, the park can exist as a park on one hand, and a large scale memento of what once was. Instead of typical museums and memorials which re-enact a situation through photographs, artifacts, and large paragraphs of text, this park forces one to experience a similar situation. Despite a number of small successes (overcoming the obstacles put in place) nothing will truly ever be done. The end goal will never be reached, and is clearly out of the hands of the common man.

Unfortunately, the last paragraph was not developed until just now, as I wrote this blog post. It would have been helpful to include it in what was an otherwise frustrating end to the semester. I was unable to complete a large portion of the work I set out to do, and to add to that, presented my project poorly on the day of my final review. The reviewers' comments were mostly related to the underdeveloped dialogue of the project, which I attempted to begin in the previous paragraph. Furthermore, I feel the lack of a cohesive delivery on my part, may have led to a number of comments which were contrary to the advice given to me earlier in the semester.

All in all, I can't help but a feel a slight sense of disappointment in terms of my own project, but I am excited to see my fellow studiomates' projects in the symposium. I wish the best of luck to Chelsea, CJ, and John, not only in this next week of additional work, but also in the final voting for awards.