Final Output
Breezy: adj.
1. The people of Halifax are known for being easy going, friendly, and approachable.
2. Nova Scotia’s rugged Atlantic coastline is known for its unpredictable winds.
3. There can be a measure of apathy or lack of willingness to engage in social issues, which Halifax is not without.
(Left) Africville- an African-Nova Scotian settlement that was destroyed by the city government in the 1960s in the name of “urban renewal”.
(Centre) Fishing equipment and buildings are weathered beyond their years by the constant lashing of the wind.
(Right) Reminders of a colonialist history- many outdated and incorrect terms for Aboriginal peoples remain in use to this day. The largest mall in the province still carries the name “Mic Mac Mall”.
After chatting through some ideas on output with Joe, his suggestion of an audio tour really jumped out at me. I love the idea of hearing voices from different neighbourhoods speak to the history and cultural importance of their own communities.
BREEZY — AN AUDIO TOUR OF THE CITY OF HALIFAX
For both the long-term Haligonian to the seasonal tourist, BREEZY has something to offer to everyone. Whether its learning more about the neighborhood you live in or learning about a new one, an app-based audio tour could inform listens about:
Historic Africville - the triumphs of community and betrayal by the city
Cherrybrook - the talented musicians that live there
The site of Halifax’s first queer space - Thee Klub on Barrington St.
The Halifax Explosion - the scars that remain from the historic disaster
Titanic graveyard - the final resting place of so many from the famed wreck
Uniac Square - the origin of so many influential and important people, community activists, musicians, artists and more
NSCAD - a watershed institution in the development of the arts in Canada
The Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre - a place for the Mi’kmaw community to preserve their culture and plot a course forward for the future
The historical figures the streets are named after - the good, bad and ugly
An interactive audio tour of the Halifax, from the people that are part of its living history.
I envision this as an app, with complimenting physical plaques and markers across the city. This allows for organic discovery as people walk these communities, and are confronted with a better understanding of each unique community.
The plaques invite pedestrians to scan QR codes that bring up a web page with the audio related to the neighbourhood, and an invitation to download the full app.
Lecture & Readings
How the medium changes the message.
I loved the concept of The Solar Annual Report as it’s fun, bold, a bit cheeky, speaks to their industry, clear and concise visually, with a bit of socio-political commentary. Annual Reports can be extremely dry content to sift through if done incorrectly, and not only does this bring sun and light, literally, to it — I think the message pivots away from the findings of the report, to what can be in the future.
You can’t read this report at your desk, or after work hours when the sun is down. It speaks to you, and directs you to go outside, to enjoy the sun, and perhaps mix your office day up by moving outside. I don’t think a report has ever hade me get up out of my chair before, let alone gave me an opportunity to sit in the grass for 15 minutes.
Wit in Design
This is something I strive for with varying degrees of success in my personal practice, and something I often fail in professionally. In my professional design work, I find there’s often no room for an extra layer of commentary, thought, or playfulness, as graphic design can be quite strict in it’s priority of messaging
Why is it that I find it easier to play with wit in fine art, than I do in practical design. In the future I would like to explore ad and marketing campaigns that have managed to take a usually serious and dry brand, and injected humour.
Flowerworks
The concept of wit in design reminded me of theme of last year’s Met Ball Gala, and corresponding display - Camp.
A lot of attendees struggled to execute and convey what camp really is. Some took the meaning it a direction that went too far all the way past camp into cartoon or clown territory. And some thought only in the historical context, not considering today’s meaning.
There’s always a risk with wit in design, that it might not translate, miss the mark, or perhaps go overboard.
As with most topics throughout pop culture, Susan Sontag already had a point of view, and an essay.. I love this excerpt from Notes On Camp:
