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In order to examine everyday urban behaviors as aspects of the concept
and system design, we carried out some limited ethnographic studies, including
stationary observations of specific sites and pedestrian paths documented
with action logs. This gave us insight into relevant and interesting aspects
to sense and helped to imagine sequences of actions, events and ambiances
along a route as a potential composition.
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SITE 1
Oscar Fredrikskyrkan, Majorna |
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SITE 2
Klippan, Majorna |
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| This site was selected because of the dramatic topography
and extremely diverse use of the space. It is at the intersection
of residential neighborhoods, school property, a park area, a church,
and a typical urban commercial street. |
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Klippan consists of wide, dramatic open spaces. On
one side there is open water and a working harbor, on the other an
open park and hilly walking path. The area is isolated by wide highways,
and overhead, a bridge is a major roadway between two parts of town. |
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| ACTION LOGS |
Observations were recorded by hand using 'Action Logs'. Activities
and uses of the space were often quite fleeting, too difficult to unobtrusively
film or photograph in any coherent manner. Inspired by traditional ethnographic
field studies, paper logs were used for tracing paths of people, noting
general patterns, sound and environmental conditions, and key observations
about the use of the space.
Two strategies were used for site observations:
+ Stalking: Stalking was a strategy for 'walking in the shoes' of people
traveling through the site – to understand different parts of the site
through a more intimate, first-person perspective. In order not to be limited
by our own expectations of how people choose their paths, we followed people
as they entered through main access routes and followed their path, at their
pace, and made observations about the environmental conditions, other people,
and events they encountered, as well as about how their comportment and
way of walking.
+ Stakeout: Based on activities logged through Stalking, several spots were
selected to be staked-out at various times of the day. Some examples include:
key intersections for foot and automobile traffic; stairway entrances and
exits; and narrow stretches where people had to negotiate their way. These
were spots where patterns of movement and behaviors could be observed among
multiple people using the space, thus expanding our understanding of the
variety of different ways people use the same space. |
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| EXAMPLES |
The log sheets were collected and the findings grouped together
by topic – examples are given below. The topics ranged from the particular
to the generic, and from local to general. This began to spark ideas in
2 directions: firstly, particular events and conditions that could be sensed
and and act as 'cues' for audio content; and sequences of actions happening
over the duration of a pathway, giving an idea of potential 'compositions'
over time.
+ Behaviors: dog-walking, jogging, fishing, climbing stairs, swinging bag/arms,
slowing down towards the top of the stairs, choosing a fork in a path, taking
a corner at various angles
+ Situations: gatherings of men drinking in park, being passed by others,
being stuck behind several people walking abreast, graffiti cleaner at work,
climbing stairs 2 or 3 at a time in manner of someone ahead
+ Environmental conditions: blowtorch light flickering, various lighting
conditions at night, birds chirping, school recess sounds, cloud cover shifting,
loud music from flat nearby, construction crane hum, foggy day patterns
of street lights
+ Localized textures: clusters of trees, colonnades, facades with openings
into courtyards, vehicles parked for loading, construction activities and
barriers, walking up a sloping path, gravel/cobbles/paving, leaving dramatic
building shadow
+ Events: bus letting out many passengers, huge Stena steamer passing slowly,
passing under a bridge, kids sliding down stair rails, tram/car/motercycle
passing |
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| OUTCOMES |
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Observations of specific sites uncovered essential patterns of action,
for example behavioral sequences at crosswalks (e.g. glancing, changing
course and speeds). Obstacles such as stairways were interesting conjunctions
of fixed and mobile elements, including structural elements (step patterns
and railings) and pedestrian behavior (styles of climbing stairs, congestion,
and turn-taking). From the observations, characteristics of pedestrians
and surroundings were categorized in terms of action and context, which
impacted both decisions in terms of sensor choices in the +
technology platform and
strategy for + sound
design & mapping.
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+
video clip
rapid atmospheric changes
720K |
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+
video clip
climbing steep stairs
270K |
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+
video clip
passing others climbing stairs
1.1MB |
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+
video clip
travelling in relation to various light sources
770K |
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+
video clip
dramatic crossing from shade to sunlight
480K |
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+
video clip
traffic at various levels and speeds
1.1MB |
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+
audio clip
construction and trucks unloading in an alley
580K |
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+
audio clip
school recess heard from park nearby
300K |
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+
audio clip
microphone recording from inside carry bag
230K |
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+audio
clip
blowtorch crackle from construction site at night
140K |
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+
audio clip
driving on gravel
60K |
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+
audio clip
walking rhythm
280K |
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+
audio clip
car pulling away
70K |
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+
audio clip
turning from a busy street to a very quiet one
140K |
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+ audio
clip
walking rhythm with birds
60K |
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