Public Spacemaking/Seating Typologies

For the purposes of the workshop we have outlined 3 categories of public spacemaking / seating typologies to explore.

• DIY spacemaking
• Vending Machine/ Coin Operated/ Franchised Spacemaking devices
• Permanent Flexible Infrastructures

1. DIY spacemaking

joel -crook
Originally uploaded by swampy123

DIY spacemaking is typified by the efforts of individual street users which utilize a set of affordable tools for customizing their environment to accommodate a certain behavior, like skateboarding.

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Originally uploaded by Dakos / Spaceman Clara!

The picnic basket and blanket are familiar tools for customizing an outdoor environment

Camping Chairs
Originally uploaded by kathym6366

Camping chairs are another good example of customizing an outdoor environment.

San Francisco Pillow Fight 2007
Originally uploaded by Laughing Squid

To add to this, we also consider the emergent phenomenon of urban play. A great example of this is the public pillow fight that takes place in San Francisco and around the world on Valentines Day.

IMG_0951
Originally uploaded by urban_data

The Postal Chairs project by GRL embodies all of the best principles of DIY spacemaking.












See the video: http://graffitiresearchlab.com/?page_id=35

And then there is the absurdly functional work of Sarah Ross: Archisuit consists of an edition of four leisure jogging suits made for specific architectural structures in Los Angeles. The suits include the negative space of the structures and allow a wearer to fit into, or onto, structures designed to deny them.

http://www.insecurespaces.net/archisuits.html#

IMG_6362.JPG
Originally uploaded by beatlequeen

Rebar's contribution to this equation is Bushwaffle: our prototype
personal space softening device.