Assignment8 Encoding space

Fieldwork

• Objective: The goal of this observation was to capture the social dynamics and sound levels at our school’s coffee shop, Magnolia Space, where international students commonly gather. My interest was not only in observing the space objectively but also in representing my personal reaction to the crowd dynamics, as someone who feels nervous in large social groups(due to the nerves, I chose snow mountains to represent my inner emotion).
• Methods: I spent an afternoon observing the activity within the space from a corner seat:
  • Manual Observation: I noticed the current of people in different seating areas, focusing on the crowd density in various parts of the café. I also noted the conversational volume, especially in group settings.
  • Abstraction of Values:
    • Altitude of Peaks: In my visualization, the altitude of each snow mountain represents the number of people in a particular area. Higher peaks correspond to larger groups, while lower peaks signify smaller, more stable gatherings.
    • Snowfall Speed: The speed of snowfall indicates the volume level—faster snowfall represents louder conversations, adding a sense of liveliness (or intensity) to those areas.

Reconstruction

 

• Concept and Metaphor: To express my feelings about the crowd dynamics in Magnolia Space, I translated my observations into a snow mountain landscape. This metaphor captures the tension between social anxiety and the comfort of smaller groups, using natural elements to visualize social presence and energy levels.
• Visualization Details:
  • Mountain Layout:
    • Center Area: The central sofa area, where students gather and chat, is represented by tall mountains with faster snowfall. These peaks stand out as dynamic and active zones.
    • Outer Areas: Along the hallway, where people sit individually or in pairs, the mountains are lower and stable, reflecting a quieter, more focused atmosphere.
  • Snowfall Dynamics: Each mountain has a unique snowfall speed, corresponding to the volume level I observed. Areas with louder conversations are visually “noisier” with rapid snowfall, creating an immersive representation of how crowded and overwhelming these areas felt to me.
• Collider Trigger: I set a collider at the exit, once you step out, large snowflaks will fall off and your world will be silent, revealing that you are out of the Magnolia Space right now and get into a quieter space.