RISD Vox-Pop Up: Cultivating Parks for People

RISD's Landscape Architecture - Advanced Studio class will create 6 temporary pop-up art installations in Providence Innovation District park that can be viewed from December, 1st - December 9th. 

1.    The Bejeweled City⁠—Seung Oh

This installation project is promoted with the idea of finding the identity of the Innovation District Park and tying together the city’s history, present-day and future. The installation is made of brick-like materials which have embedded jewel patterns to celebrate the city’s combined brick and jewelry manufacturing history. The various shapes and forms of the blocks are inspired by the city’s historical architecture styles. The installation aims to connect two neighborhoods by addressing the area’s industrial history and visually tying in with existing historical buildings. It aims to bring a sense of play and ask the passerby to pause, look around, recall history, and touch and bring a little more joy to everyday life.

 2.    Perceive It! [The View Collector]—Ziyu Wang and Xiuyan Qin

This view collector is a celebration of fantastic views around the park. Views of the downtown Providence skyline, College Hill, the Providence River, the Van Leesten pedestrian bridge, and the I-195 highway bridge are all collected into one single installation for people to perceive. This project seeks to reveal the many diverse views from within the park and frame them as valuable amenities within the park. 

3.     The Sharing Wall—Yan Liu 

Let’s share!

When you rub shoulders with strangers, you may end up sharing a story. This person could either become a friend, or perhaps you never see them again. These spontaneous interactions are an important part of vibrant public space. This project provides a way for people who have never met before to use The Sharing Wall to share their own thoughts with each other. Through the setting of The Sharing Wall, more people can participate by answering the given questions or writing whatever they want. This message-wall format helps to achieve communications over different time and space. You may not know another’s identity, but you can learn about their thoughts. Using a piece of chalk, the relationship between neighbors will be strengthened and maybe you will find a friend who has similar interest with you, and in a small way, the world will be a little more kind. Come and write your thoughts!

4.    Claim Your Space—Hillary Huang and Christina Koutsoukou

This pop-up installation titled, “Claim Your Space”, aims to create a cycle of change in how people experience being in public space, particularly those who are of marginalized genders, and/or belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. Public spaces often come with uncertainty and can make some individuals feel uncomfortable or exposed. This pop-up installation is designed to make users feel at home and at ease to engage freely with the programs on-site. These programs are intended to provide numerous methods for visitors to feel heard and empowered through claiming their own space in public.

5.    SEEING THE GHOST—Shuyi Guan and Yuanrui Wang

Standing on the site, do you have any idea about what was happening here centuries ago?

What is now park space has consistently changed according to the needs of different time periods. Cove, wharf, wasteland and park-the site itself is becoming a witness and the storyteller of the forgotten history.

This SEEING THE GHOST installation overlays a series of scenes about the prosperous period of Jewelry District onto the physical world using an immersive AR technique with visually aligned transparent placards. This installation aims to brings the vibrancy of the past back to the present, using a futuristic technology. The hope is that it inspires people to reimagine their relationship with the site over time. 

 6.    Wind, Light, Flow—Wenlin Yang and Weirong Luo

WE are also a gust of wind passing here. This installation is the result of many weeks of research into the microclimate conditions in the park. The darkest and windiest area of the Innovation District Park is represented by the location of this pinwheel field. The pinwheels are mounted atop glowing rods that are activated by the motion of passersby. The goal of Wind, Light, Flow is to visualize the motion of wind and human flow and bring a sense of warmth and life into this otherwise inhospitable area of the site.