370 Jay Street

As you might know (or have noticed) we just recently moved into our new home on the 3rd floor of 370 Jay Street. As we get settled into our new space, as culture forms, people begin to have new rituals and habits, it’s a perfect time to explore the space, learn about its inhabitants and make it your own. 

Part 1 – Observe

Begin by experiencing the building or a part of the building through as many senses as possible. Feel free to experience it through whatever lens that suits you and employing any method and media you would like to document and record different aspects of it that interest you, interactions in the space, different activities, challenges that you see or think are important to investigate. This building is a system, made of many moving parts that interact and affect one another. Observe and start mapping those out through images, footage, recordings, found objects, etc. Start planning what method or methods you would like to play with to gain deeper insight into the space and into the people occupying the space. 

Part 2 – research

What is the identity of this space? Who inhabits it? In order to craft your own personal interpretation of this space, you will want to observe but also interact with people who currently live in this environment to really understand and map out their flows, interactions, their impact on such locale. What are some themes that you can see emerge? What are some interesting things you have observed and picked up on? Can you investigate those more thoroughly by crafting a research protocol and questions that can help you uncover interesting insights? Talk to people. This is a great opportunity for you to introduce yourself to the rest of the community on our floor and beyond and to learn more about the people and resources that this space offers. Make sure you record your interactions and conversations in some kind of way so that you can analyze and use those materials for the last part of the assignment. 

Part 3 – synthesize & visualize

Now that you have dived deeply into understanding the space, its people and its functions/activities/flows, pick some format and media to visualize and present your map/mental model of the part of 370 Jay street you decided to focus on. What are the important details, insights you gathered from your research and interviews, that you feel like would be important to showcase. Feel free to explore materials, graphics, formats and content to make your visualization as unique as your point of view. Make sure you are conveying your thoughts in a way that easy for people to understand and read.  You will showcase your visuals and talk us through your process in class.