The Big Book: Intervention at the NYPL
'Project' => 'Select and study interactions in a public space with Michelle Kirby, Ben Norskov and Marisela Riveros. Then, find a means to engage the public in the space with an intervention/public installation of some sort.',
'Challenges' => 'Study movements and interactions in order to draw conclusions about the use of the space we chose (the New York Public Library), and then find a means of connecting to people outside the library in a deeper way—find a means to get them to engage with the library in ways beyond taking photos of the lions—a very popular activity!',
'Solutions' => 'After studying the space in front of the library and its use patterns, it was clear that most people coming to the main library building were tourists who wanted a photo opportunity. Even the ones who entered the library mostly just wanted to snap a few photos and leave. Since tourists are in New York for a short time only, we did not aim to get people to check out books, but rather, to connect them to the library in a meaningful way when they come up for a photo. We created a giant 4-foot-tall book full of partially punched out words that people could combine to create their own phrases, and in a few cases, entire poems!'
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