While my initial project was radically dissimilar from the point where I ended, in many ways I still answered the question I entered with: “how do public spaces and their designs contribute to the vibrance and humanity of the city?”

         To answer this question, I initially hoped to make a book dissecting the designs I saw around me, using illustration to display how they foster vibrance and humanity. In imagining this project, I believed that I would be able to peer into the inner workings of public spaces I observed, seeing exactly what each element of the spaces was doing for their users. 

         But, when I actually began my project, I quickly learned that streets couldn’t be simplified into single goals, that their elements were often both unintentional and useless, used in millions of diverse and complex ways. The hypothesis that all the public spaces I could see would all be striving towards one perfect form was shattered and with it the original conception of my project.

         So I shifted to a more artistic and interpretive exploration of public space and the city at large. I drew the peculiar and interesting elements of the city, trying to explain the impacts of their design when I could, and simply appreciating their beauty and interesting elements when I couldn’t. 

         This culminated in 6 ink drawings that explored the impact of design and space on the vibrancy and humanity of the city. In making these pieces I continued to push myself to interpret spaces in more open and loose ways — not breaking them down and simplifying them but leaving the viewer to interpret their impacts and complexities. This answered my original question just as well as my original project would have, artistically and visually exploring the ways public spaces “contribute to the vibrance and humanity of the city”.

         In creating this art, I had to leave behind my hope to find answers, and instead simply explore and display the city. This was an acute struggle for a couple of weeks; I had come into the project set on discovering the design and pattern that lay under the surface of the city, so the process of accepting that there was no ideal design or superior goal was painful. But, in leaving this need to find discrete answers behind, I began to appreciate the true complexity and beauty of the city. By allowing myself to observe and appreciate public spaces my project became more powerful, free of limiting and simple judgments about their value or technical design. 

         At the end of my experience, I wish I had gone further in this interpretive display of the city. I wish I had spent more time drawing the unique culture and interest of the locations I came across, carefully composing images that captured their unique beauty and juxtapositions. I wish that I had the confidence to truly embrace the artistic bent of my experience, creating goals that pushed me and furthered my artistic — rather than illustrative — growth.

         In this same vein, my senior project has taught me about myself and how I want to engage with my passions through failure and difficulty. I struggled with moving forward productively and thoughtfully without having an end goal in mind, and I would spend whole days bemoaning the imperfection and lack of direction of my project. This listlessness additionally made it so that my project was less full and thought-provoking, as my constant questioning of the purpose and direction of my project took away from my ability to question and grow my thinking and work. This guided me to the idea that I need to have clearer end goals in my future independent work, never letting myself aim towards nothing at all even if my goals are changing and failing. 

         Looking back at my project, I realize it also showed me what I want to learn more about, and the aspects of my artistic practice I want to grow and modify. Through studying the city I saw the intricacies of urban planning and design, and the depth and importance that such issues had. Yet, it also made me see the architectural beauty and uniqueness that such spaces had, which made me more interested in approaching the design of public spaces from a less practical and more artistic, cultural and architectural perspective. Through my meetings with architects and designers, I also grew my interest in the theory of architecture, making me far more passionate about engaging with it in college. And, as I touched on earlier, my project inspired me to become more artistic and interpretive with my work, truly embracing the beauty and subtlety of what I’m creating.

         When I think about how I want to display my growth and thinking on my project, I think that the best way to do so is to simply leave it for the audience to explore. My sketchbook meanders through my thinking and art, while the 6 large pieces I created display my learning and growth as an artist, illustrator and urban thinker. I believe that, with these two sets of art displayed along with an artist’s statement, viewers will be able to move through and interpret my experience, observing my thoughts and illustrations while also forming their own interpretations and conclusions. This freedom to explore will make my work almost feel like the city, where you’re able to skim and dive into the complexity and interest as you please, creating their own impressions and experiences within my artistic experience. 

 

                     – Zane