EXPLORING HOMELINESS AND UNHOMELINESS OF PLACE
Exploring homeliness and unhomeliness of science city at Ahmedabad
• Module: Media and Communication • Module Length: 10 days • Faculty Name: Madhusudhan Mukerjee, Associate Professor S.L.U. College • Team Members: Abhijit I Aliza | Manita I Neha • Role: Research work Concept Design • Year: 2017
Method:
Challenges:
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Closely observed and studied each grid of the place
• Studying large area in short duration of time.
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Identified the unhomeliness of the place
• Proposing design interventions
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Design Interventions
Insights:
Outcome:
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Design of places in certain ways can make the place unhomely.
•
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In order to make any place home like design plays a major role.
Proposed design intervention for unhomely place in science center.
SCIENCE CITY
EXPLORING ITS HOMELINESS AND UNHOMELINESS
TEAM: ABHIJITH, ALIZA, MANITA, NEHA
Fig. 1 Schematic map of the Science city Source- https://scity.gujarat.gov.in/images/a4dvxnuwq64e2iatmjpgjpg.jpg
The place chosen is Science city in Ahmedabad. The visit was done during late evening. The time had an equally interesting and important part in the way we perceived the space. The science city is large and hence interior and exterior spaces have been studied separately. Certain elements that recur and apply to the park in general has been studied.
The Science city is approached through large gates and is internally divided into various sections. These sections have been divided in a hexagonal grid. The grid creates isolated islands dedicated to various sections of the park. The grid lines form the connecting pathways. These pathways are difficult to manoeuvre and feels like a maze. The path itself is isolated from the grid making it islands of its own. It is often difficult to find direction, especially in the dark. The signboards are also difficult to read. Moving through the pathway, one often gets lost or ends up in the same place. This itself gives a sense of uncannya feeling of being trapped in an endless loop. The pathway is dark, silent and isolated; one gets a sense of solitude and a feeling of strange familiarity. Familiarity of a home that is lost forever- the womb. There are some large and open areas in the park, which again emulates a sense of loneliness.
Fig. 3 Thrillrider
Thrill rider is a full size spaceship adventure ride. The movement of the spaceship is like the machine imitating the quality of the living, which added with the time of the day and air of the surroundings becomes the uncanny.
Fig. 2 Speakers mounted on light posts
There are speakers mounted on light posts that continuously play a voice narrative of scientific facts. The speech is haunted by prosopopeia, giving an eerie futuristic and quite dystopian feeling. While the voice is human, it is coming out of a machine; hence the voice itself sounds like the machine’s interpretation of the human voice. The device is also placed way above human height, giving it a sense of power which stimulates our internalized voices of authority. The seemingly authoritative voice is spread around the space like an invisible layer. It follows the space like a shadow.
Fig. 4 Replica of Dinosaur in Life Science park
The nature park has replicas of Dinosaurs. These replicas are huge and monstrous, giving it a sense domination in the space. It emulates a sense of being watched by the unmoving, unseeing eyes of a creatures long dead. It is an externalization of our own deepest fears. The sharp teeth, longs nails, combined with the deep shadows and sharp contrast of the space gives a sense of intrusion of weird alien presence.
Source- https://cdn5.img.sputniknews.com/images/103992/26/1039922606.jpg
Fig. 5 Building Shape- Planet Earth
The buildings are also shaped quite differently. The building named ‘planet earth’ is shaped like a globe. The recreation of the same as an architectural model/buildings, makes it feel distant. The fading paint and texture representing the qualities of earth only distances its familiarity. ‘Planet Earth’ has been literally presented as planet earth, which makes the medium extremely hot. The building is made to look like earth, the earth on which it is built; the earth about which it displays information. What is on the inside is quite contrary to perception of the space from the outside. Inside is a huge exhibition area of scientific nature and oddly placed aquariums. The presence of living aquatic creatures trapped inside a closed building places it in the twilight zone. It is a refection of the larger trap that we are in.
Fig. 6 Statues of Indian Astronauts in Spaceship in Hall of Space
Statues of astronauts are placed inside the hall of space, which looks like mannequins. These are in the human scale with human features but dead and distant. It is strangely familiar yet incites cold and revulsive feelings.
Fig. 7 Installation near the entrance depicts a human figure on top of giant stone monolith. The figure is only human in form without depicting the details.
Fig. 10 Palm prints of Nobel Laureates are displayed in the open. The fact that these scientists are not alive, stimulates an air of strangeness in us.
Fig. 8. Absence of people in the space creates an unhomely atmosphere especially during evenings.
Fig. 11. Realistic bird sculptures are oddly hanging in the Hall of space.
Fig. 9. The images though realistic and humane are two dimensional.
Fig. 12. Presence of living aquatic creatures trapped
inside a closed building places makes it strange.
DESIGN INTERVENTIONS The planning and design of the science city makes it an extremely hot medium. It translates our ideas/perceptions about science in the built form and design. While the intention is to showcase science, science itself is hidden in the very nature of the space. Science acts only as a layer hidden behind what is exhibited as science. Thus there is very less scope for interaction with the space or science. Science is used to showcase individual elements which are quite interesting, but is absent from the space itself. The space itself could have been designed using science. Some of the unhomely elements present in science city may seem necessary for the functioning of the place as a park, and hence the solutions or design changes proposed are debatable. It is a lost opportunity in creating a truly interactive and educational space. Some of the specific design interventions proposed are as follows: • The park could be made off-grid, sustaining using its own scientific technologies. The nature of the park itself could be used to deliver the message i.e. science and its relevance. • The park is currently segregated into various sections. Segregated spaces create a detached environment which in turn create unhomeliness. The spaces in between these sections are empty and dark. Adequate seating, food outlets and additional information can be placed in these areas to reduce the strangeness and attract more visitors. • The pathways much be made more accessible and connected with the rest of the space. Signages must upgraded for easy way-finding. • Upgrading lighting in the park could enhance the overall homeliness of the park. This would increase visibility during evenings which is also apparently the peak hours of the park. • Large open spaces without furniture and vegetation can be reduced. These areas can be made more accessible by introducing seating and vegetation.
• Speakers can be removed from the public spaces or can be placed at a lower position. They need to be placed only at relevant places close to the exhibits/scientific artifacts. The voice can also be modulated to be more human-like. • The thrill ride is too dull to be thrilling at all. Instead of trying to recreate the spaceship, the ride could be an interpretation of space ride with a mix of fun. Adding more color and elements of fun surrounding the area could reduce its uncanny effect. • The dinosaurs adds a dimension of horror-thrill experience in the park. This section instead of being isolated could be placed in a more open space. Benches and other elements could be placed to attract more people. The paths in this region are also quite narrow, this could be widened to attract more people. More people would create the feeling of familiarity in the otherwise creepy area. Information relevant to dinosaurs could also be displayed quite prominently, which in turn would distract the user from the presence of giant non-living dinosaurs. • The buildings, though differently shaped has dull textures and colors; this makes the sharp edges and corners more prominent. Changing the color of the building could be one way of making the space more homely. The space is also dimly lit which adds to its eeriness during evenings. Lighting up the area would have a tremendous impact on people’s perception of the space. The inside of planet earth could be redesigned are as a total fantasy. The aquarium could be removed and moved to another building. • Astronauts can be depicted through images rather than statues. The space ship can be displayed separately without the presence of human mannequins inside them. If the astronauts are placed inside the spaceship, there can be more light inside it to make it less unhomely. The location of the same can also be changed to a place with everything exhibited related to space, rather than a dark corner.