Author Archives: Aastha Bhargava

by | November 10, 2014 · 4:22 am

Team MALM Week 3

Original goals:

  • Make people feel like kids again
  • Bring people together

Goals for testing:

  • Encourage people to be creative.
  • Make people feel like they’re part of something bigger.

Questions:

  • Will collaborative storytelling facilitate interactions?
  • Will people be imaginative and unafraid to introduce wacky stories?
  • Do strangers strike up conversations based on this intervention?

 

photo-3

 

Analysis:

First we decided to experiment with another way to get at our goal: collaborative storytelling through a public interface. This was delightful, but didn’t gain traction as quickly as we would have liked. We ultimately decided to focus on another iteration of the tin cans for our field experiment this week.

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Analysis:

 

The time, weather and location of the park installation matters. We had set ours up early on a cold Saturday morning, so while there was some foot traffic, there wasn’t a big crowd.

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The setup of our tin cans succeeded in capturing the attention of people passing by, who stopped to read the sign or take pictures. While several people were entertained and took photos of the setup, a handful of about 6-7 people actually tried to engage with it in the cold morning weather.

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At the time we were there, most of the park goers were either alone or with their dog.  This made it difficult for them to try out the cans, which requires interaction between two people.

However, those who saw others interacting with the installation and were curious enough, would walk over and ask to join in.  Again, there was some disbelief and surprise when they realized a tin can telephone could work.

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Filed under Final project – week 3

by | September 15, 2014 · 9:04 pm

Following Protocol: Cybernetic Model

http://aasthabhargavablog.tumblr.com/post/97592417225

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Filed under Quick Indie Project

by | September 13, 2014 · 4:45 pm

Aastha Bhargava: Third Places

The different take on ‘sense of community’ America has was the first cultural adjustment I found myself making when I moved to New York from Mumbai about a year ago. What the author talks about as a matter of the past or something that seldom exists today was how I lived my life back home. I’ve actually had that third place and I couldn’t help reading this article drifting now and then back to memories of home where my life was dominated by community and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of examples in the article I could relate to.

In Mumbai, I lived in a building complex composed of residential buildings, gardens, a large playground and parking spaces, all enclosed in boundary walls separating us from the rest of the city. Our ‘third place’ wasn’t a coffee shop or a bar but a beautiful seating area-large enough to accommodate about thirty people in the middle of the main garden, opposite which I lived. I remember spending late afternoons as a child looking out of the window waiting for friends to congregate. Everybody knew everybody and what was going on in their lives. New neighbours were personally invited to join us every evening where people of all ages would sit and chat together, sometimes share snacks while children would play. There was also a grocery store which primarily catered to our complex (and delayed payments were not a problem).

We did everything together- celebrated festivals and dealt with problems. One incident the article reminded me of was the time I faced an emergency in the absence of my family and I remember feeling overwhelmed not by the circumstances but by the support I received from my neighbours. From helping me make crucial decisions to insisting on providing all my meals- they took care of everything without me even asking for it.

On the other hand, in New York I barely speak to my roommate let alone my neighbours. Whether that’s because of a difference in culture or lack of time and effort, I don’t know. While it’s refreshing that people in this city respect your privacy and notice and appreciate the little things you do for them, I still miss that sense of informal-ness, taking each other for granted- in a good way and sharing everything with everyone around me. It’s an equation I find hard to describe and in my opinion takes a lot of effort to cultivate.
‘Third places give the gift of friendship’, a support system to rely on for life. In Mumbai, I was fortunate to be living in one place long enough to be part of one such system. We’ve all gone our separate ways now, some living in different parts of the city some scattered across the world. The only thing that’s changed is our third place (which is now skype) and while I’m grateful it’s so easy to stay in touch, I can’t help but miss those evenings spent sitting together in that garden discussing our lives and welcoming new people.

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Filed under Readings, Third Places