Course Information & Syllabus

Design & Content For Public Spaces
Hogeschool van Amsterdam Department of Interactive Media
Download PDF of Syllabus

Lecturer: Raina Kumra
Workgroup Leader: Femke Dekker
Coaches: M. Meijers, M. Spier

Class Meeting Time: Mondays 12:55-13:45
(first meeting Wednesday April 19, 2006 @ 12:55)
Class Location: Lectures C.01.04, Workshops D.00.08
Workgroup Hours: Mondays 13:45-15:25 and 15:40-17:20
Lab and Workshop Hours: Wednesdays 13:45-15:25 and 15:40-17:20
Office Hours and Contact Information: email me at rkumra@hva.nl to schedule an appointment or whenever you have questions.
Course Website and Blog: http://publicspacevideo.blogspot.com/

Course Description:
Designing for agora like places such as the public meeting hall, the museum, the gallery, library, airport or train station, the park or the street all require a different frame of mind than designing for oneself or a specific audience. Adding an informational layer to these already existing gathering places should enhance and add to their roles already of bringing people together. Well designed successful social spaces are rare and we begin the course by documenting some better examples and projects.

Learning Outcomes:
Understanding public space is the first step towards designing content and applications for it.
1) Students will be introduced to a methodology of understanding public space and as well as a methodology of the design process.
2) Examining existing public spaces and their agendas is the first step in this process.
3) Researching and knowing who your audience is also essential.
4) Considerations of the different ways public space can be defined [material, social, networked etc] will also be covered.
5) Exploring economic factors surrounding content creation and creative presentations in public spaces will also be explored and the student will be asked to rely on his own interdisciplinary skills to make the project come together.
6) Finally, the student will leave the course with research skills, theoretical and practical information, as well as project sketches and video content for future projects.

Course Requirements:
Reading Writing and Discussion
Reading Materials will be posted online for self-printing and supplemental reading may be handed out in class as hard copies. You are responsible for keeping up with the reading and preparing for discussions in the next class or workshop. You are also responsible for checking the posted links and references that will be uploaded to the blog along with the lecture notes. Occasional written responses will also be required to be posted online in your class blog. When handing in anything that is referenced either from the web, an article or a book, please cite your sources.

Working with Technology:
A class website and blog will be available for your use. You will be required to check the links pertaining to each week’s lecture and download the readings. You will also be required to start a blogger account and fill out a profile as well as submit some of your assignments online. Class lectures and supplemental material will be made available as well from time to time.
Software tutorials in video editing, graphics programs and animation will be scheduled for the last weeks of the course.

Organization of the Course:
Lectures will be held for the first 4 weeks where we will explore definitions of public space and uses of design in public space. After that the next 4 weeks will be dedicated to individual projects for a site of your choosing using an urban screen for some percentage of community, entertainment, informational, artistic or commercial content. This mixed use content will need to tie together and also be prototyped in a model since it is not always possible or practical to do an onsite project.

Final Assignment: The Urban Screen
This is a group project, working in teams of 2 or 3.
Design a mixed-use project using an urban screen for 40% Performance, 30% Commercial and 30% Informational/community based content (or some alternate percentage as you like) for any public space of your choice. What are the main goals in designing for this type of environment? What are some special considerations of your chosen site and how does your content and display deal with it. Your research on the use of the site must also be reflected in your design. Can you make the screen a two-way communication device (with or without technology)? Can you extend it to the people’s personal screens? Is interactivity a vital enhancement to the project or unnecessary for this particular location? Imagine designing and proposing this project to the government or corporate sponsor as if it were to actually take place.

The final project must include the following:
1. Video mock up or documentary of your project in action or as it appears in-situ.
2. Content reel: 3-5 minute reel of your content showing the mixed use.
3. Research: survey data, videos or photography of your site at different times of day and several different days.
4. Final Presentation: The presentation should start with the site as you found it and your explanation of why you came up with the idea. In some cases, the idea can be demonstrated in the actual intended space or projected using the beamer.

Evaluation Criteria:

Punctual and regular class attendance.
Level of participation in class discussions and class activities.
Quality and timeliness of assignments.
Ability to work well in teams or solo.
Creativity of final prototype.
Participation with your blog.

The final project will be assessed on the above factors and of creating a seamless mixed-use platform as well as for the design value of the content. Considerations for environmental blending and financial support will also be assessed. Some final projects of high quality may be submitted to conferences. More information will be provided later.

Course Schedule:

April 19 Week 1: Introductions and Course Information.
Lecture: What is public space?

Assignment 1: Profile a Place. For the first week of class you will be required to identify what you find to be a public space in Amsterdam or nearby. Write a brief, one page description and create a visual representation. The representation can be in the form of images (3 maximum), video (1 min. max), or any other visual medium to accompany your text. Your site may also just be a piece of public art, but you will be asked to speak about the area where it is placed. We will briefly review each space in the class lab time in order to generate discussions about public space. This is due to me on April 24 (posted on your blog) and presented on April 26th (bring a copy on disk to class).

Assignment 1b: Your Bio. Start Blogger account.
Please open an account and fill out the complete profile with your photo. I also want the phonetic pronunciation of your name. Please include this in the “about me section”. Also tell me why you want to study interactive media. This should be posted by April 20th by 5pm. Please fill out every question.

Readings: Please see class website.

April 19 Workshop 1: User centered design principles for the public sphere. Understanding your audience. An introduction to user scenarios. I will show you examples of user scenarios in class when designing for public space or even for advertising - they can be used for illustrating your ideas and for general research before you formulate your idea. We will also view “The Park” video which shows some interview techniques.

In class exercise (2nd half of class): Break into groups of 4 or 5 and choose one site on campus to interview people about how they use that space. Bring back the data to create some user scenario projections for a) working professional b) a family c) a couple of students or come up with a design to improve the space you just looked at. What are their different needs and expectations? Be as accurate as you can and write one paragraph each. These will be collected at the end of class.

April 24 Week 2: Lecture: Exploring Public Interventions of Sponsorship and Commercial Uses of Urban Screens

We will see installation art examples, Site Specific Installations, Grafitti Art and discuss how art and design are involved in many commercial projects. An Introduction to Different themes to approach the space: Fear/Control – The Virtual – Privatisation – Paid for – Nature – Interactivity.

Assignment 2: Storyboards & Final Concept. Plan of Action for the Final Project due next week. Storyboards and 3 user scenarios for the space of your final project are required as well as your raw data from the survey provided (posted on class site), please work on this and add it to your plan of action. Make sure to include photographs or video of your site at different times of the day and also on different days (weekend vs. during the week). How does the data affect our design decisions, and how has your idea changed?

Readings: Please check the class website.

April 24 WorkGroup Session 1: Design Styles, Materials and Examples. TBD

April 26 Workshop 2: Review Assignment 1 Profiles. Discuss the examples and documentation found. What do these spaces mean? How can they be improved using technology or not? Integrate what you have learned about user-focused design.

May 1 Holiday until May 5

May 8 Week 3: Lecture: The Screen and Beyond: style, material and action.
Different uses and actions for the public screen. Public screen examples and programs. Static Signage, Interactive Signage, Haptic interfaces, upcoming technologies and materials. View different styles of content, showcasing some video art and design styles that could make your content more valuable and appropriate for the space you choose.

Assignment 3: Your AVV is Due today. Prepare to present your projects and make appointments for feedback on your ideas and progress. Take more photos and or videos of your site. Research never stops on these types of projects.

May 8 WorkGroup Session 2: View more work samples. Concentrating on design and content. Prepare for debates discuss lecture 2.

May 10 Workshop 3: Debates

May 15 Week 4: Lecture: Airports; the public private space.
How to present and design your research.

May 15 WorkGroup Session 3: Trip to Schiphol airport to view Jenny Holzer and static/animated signage

May 17 Workshop 4: Feedback Project Check-ins, work review.

Software training as needed: After Effects, Premiere,
creating in situation video mock ups and using masks.
More examples of broadcast design styles in the urban sphere. Check class website for helpful readings.

Work evaluations mid-point

June 19 Final Project Assessments

June 29 Final Grades







Reading List
The majority of readings will come from these books, however there will be short articles copied and distributed in class and on the blog that will also be required.

Installation Art in the New Millennium: The Empire of the Senses [Paperback]
By: Nicolas De Oliveira, et al

Public Places - Urban Spaces [Paperback]
By: Matthew Carmona, et al

Urban Squares: Recent European Promenades, Squares, and City Centres [Paperback]
By: Topos (Editor), Topos - European Landscape Magazine

Understanding Installation Art: From Duchamp to Holzer [Paperback]
By: Mark Rosenthal

Open: New Designs for Public Space [Paperback]
By: Zoe Ryan, Raymond W. Gastil (Editor)

Video Art : A Guided Tour [Paperback]
By: Catherine Elwes

Articles:
Habermas and the Public Sphere – reflections on the public sphere. Edited by Craig Calhoun

The Urban Condition: Space, Community, and Self in the Contemporary Metropolis. Written and edited by the Ghent Urban Studies Team (GUST).

The Public Lives of TV – Ambient Television – Anna McCarty

The Eye of Power – A conversation with Jean-Pierre Barou and Michelle Perrot.

Sponsorship – Ryan McGinness excerpts

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces by William H. Whyte

How to turn a place around by Project for Public Spaces, Inc.
(and many more…)