Experiments: mirrors and extending space

 

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Experiments：movements in Kaleidoscope

Mirror experiments

I am considering mirrors as a way to build visual connection and afford a different experience of movements.

Reference: Olafur Eliasson

                Vakko Fashion Center 

Mirrors in Turkish tradition

"Among the Turks mirrors were traditionally turned to face the wall when not in use, and not until the 19th century were the tall wall mirrors known as pier-glasses in baroque frames introduced from Europe as a furnishing in the houses of the wealthy. Prior to that mirrors were only used when people were dressing their hair or getting ready to go out, and young people were taught that it was vain and therefore sinful to look more than briefly at their reflection in the mirror. Since mirrors were turned against the wall after being used, ornamenting their backs was a natural development, and Turkish craftsmen produced a wide diversity of mirror frames made of wood, ivory, iron, silver, mother-of-peal and gold, decorated with floriate and animal motifs in techniques like carving, inlay, relief and engraving."

This inspired me that two sides of mirrors may be give different experience in movements. For example, If mirrors are components of building's elevation, in the morning when workers move by, they may see mirrors and reflections. These reflections may give people an illusion that the urban space is visually expaned. But when sellers move by, they may only see decorations on the back of mirrors and the space may be visually small.

(photo taken in Venice Biennale)

mirror reflections at night

Time and flows

This map shows when people begin to flow in different places of the area, while the next one shows when people begin to flow out of the these places.

The area becomes full of movements before 8.30am when office workers flow in. They are the first group of flows. In the next hour, the area would be full of sellers who open their shops and they are the second group of flows. With these shops open, tourists come. They are the third.

I'm thinking that the urban spaces may in Eminonu may be designed to be more flexible according to different groups of people.

As a istanbul has a tradition of building informal structures and street activities, so maybe these groups of people can be involved in a process of building instant urban spaces in their movements. The results of this process may be give the people who come in the following period of time a different experience of the same area.

vedio-morning istanbul

 

The vedios show different movements in Eminonu.

24hour Eminonu

I try to put different kinds of information in the time map of Eminonu.

The Frequency of vehicles

Most popular vehicles

Congestion map of peak hour in Istanbul

activities during the day

movemnents exprienced on a bus

land use and flows

Land use of Eminonu area.

The map shows that where people are coming from in istanbul, their distances and ratio they represent. Compare this map with the transporation map of Istanbul, it can be analysed that most of workers and sellers come by buses and there are also a number of them come by trams.

Underground flash advertisements in Beijing

Movement of train and plus visual persistence made an vedio display like the display of movies.

Speed mapping

The mapping shows the compression of urban spaces by speeds.
I pick the distances in 3 minutes of 4 public transportation methods.

Urban spaces which compressed also depends on the distance between the vehicle and the object. Therefore, the space which are compressed the most is the linear spaces along the routes and the influnce are gradually decreased by distance.

A way to read the city

In the design, I would like to emphasize the journey on road as a method to exprience and read the city, like a zooming museum on the road. I want to expose those ignored and hidden urban fragments in movements as well as adding some interests to road journey.

The design would centers in Eminonu-karakoy and stretch in the water/railway/road. Traditional communities in Galata, abandoned factory and brokenly city wall and soon are focused. 

Movements on vehicles are not research purposes but tools to involve these elements in a reformed roadscape, eventually attract our attention when we move around.

Also, the complicated transit in Eminonu may also be reformed, not only make the routes clear but also transfer all the routes into journeys to perceive the surrounding historical area. 

 

This images shows that I would like to light the facade of traditional communities and attract the attention of passengers moving by.