Public Spaces 2:
The second part of project brief was to develop stories to convey a new design service. I collaborated with Tom Jenkins to explore the realm of public spaces and how small design interventions could build connections between people in public spaces.

We decided to look at communities in parks. Parks are spaces where people come seeking tranquility, and a desire to be with nature. Away from the noise and crowds, parks mark the threshold between the public and private spaces as people who visit the park regularly develop a sense of belonging for that space. People begin to form visual memories of strangers they repeatedly walk past and observe, yet do not directly interact with. Could we design a non-intrusive service, which would linger on these memories? Can objects, which exist within the park spaces, take on new roles and create curiosity in passers-by? Could we create new connections and dialogues between people who visit the park regularly without invading their privacy?

Our story:
A young city dweller stressed by pressures of urban life and corporate work environments, encounters small, intriguing objects and services in a park, and looses himself in these spaces for just a little while…