Diao, Project 1 Write Up

E. Conrad Diao

Arch 212, Understanding Architecture

Project 1 Final Write Up

11.1.15

South State Street

For this project I chose to explore the stretch of South State Street from the Walgreens to the Cinema at the head of East Liberty Street. I chose this area of Ann Arbor because it feels like the heart of the city; the double T-junction makes both ends of the selected area feel significant -- the termination creates a feeling of destination. These intersections bookend the highest traffic zone near campus. The resulting space is very busy and hardly contemplative. Despite this, the competing buildings with unique characteristics and details, competing with their neighbors, creates interesting moments of contrast. Though the focus for the project was Time, much of my film focuses on visual minutiae, something that can’t be helped when nearly all of the façades are storefronts vying for attention. I tried to keep the length of my shots to roughly six seconds -- a period of time that many people find comfortable due to the popularity of the Six Second Vine. I also tried to diversify the style and depth of my shots: details taken close up, rows of stores taken from across the street, macro shots, and whole sidewalks showing their use.

Because the space is used in so many ways, capturing movement that was representative of the program of the space was difficult. There are shots of homeless men sitting, and there are shots of schoolchildren on a field trip. I did not find it productive to fabricate or impose a focal point in my film because the strength of the space lies in its diversity and its hectic nature. There is no one theme, motif, or aspect of South State Street that sums up the space as a whole.

An example of the span of time that I was exploring from shot to shot is seen in the opening frames of the film: A comedically bifurcated backdrop of two storefronts, juxtaposed with an abandoned milk-crate stool and sign belonging to the homeless musician on the corner of the Walgreens. The street sign in the top left of the frame lets the view orient themselves. The time-based focus of the shot is a man in a blue tee shirt running and holding up his pants. Meanwhile, all of the other passersby are completely oblivious to the man's actions, and the video that I am taking. Everyone has a different experience in the space and that anonymous unplanned uniformity is exactly why South State Street is such an interesting area to study.

My Film