City Lights (2008): Strategy

My image-taking strategy is: I only capture images under artificial light.

In Drift_1, I have recorded some sounds in a public area (Estabrook Park) that people widely enjoy the interaction with natural body. The natural bodies in Estabrook Park include river and woods. For drift_2, I tried to find a place which has a different function in urban area and also includes nature body. Hoping to explore people’ interactions with natural body, I went to a downtown public area which is next to Milwaukee River. I walked on several streets back and forth around The Shops of Grand Avenue and tried to find answers for ten questions:

1. Are there any natural bodies in the area or at least very close?
2. Are people interested in interaction with natural bodies?
3. How do people interact with the natural bodies?
4. Are there any natural sounds in the area?
5. Can I hear the sounds of natural body or the sounds of interaction between people and natural body very clearly?
6. Can I single out the natural sounds or at least the sounds that human interact with the nature?
7. What do I feel when I hear the natural sounds?
8. Is there dramatically difference of ambient sound if the weather condition changes?
9. Is there any architecture which is designed in a style which fits the natural environment in the area?
10. Can I only see nature if I turn to any direction in the area?

My exploration in drift_2 provides interesting experience to me and some answers to my questions. People enjoy surrounding by natural bodies even in many urban areas including shopping mall. Some promising ways are developed to allow the appreciation of landscapes. For instance, hotels and restaurants are built on the riverside.

When you have a dinner by the riverside, you can also have the view of lights on the water. But I was alone enjoying the beautiful view outside because it was winter!