Sense of Community / Location

It seems the bigger the city, the less likely people are to engage with their surroundings and other people around them. This is something I'm sure most people are aware of, but the question is why. This is what many cities and sociologists are trying to figure out, and subsequently reduce. Thankfully we don't experience this phenomenon to a huge extent growing up in Ireland, but in major cities across the world there exists a complete lack of community. As a result of this people are reluctant to connect and cooperate with one another, and this can have a knock on effect in many areas such a crime or racism. A lack of communication with one another results in a lack of understanding and empathy as people can become indifferent to others around them. This is why it is massively important to try create a greater group mentality, rather than thinking indifferently as individuals. 

Projects like the one we are proposing could help promote engagement with others, and in turn a sense of community and association. It could not only have an impact on the mood and attitude of an individual, but have a domino effect on many in an area. This makes the project very interesting from the point of view of mass psychology and sociological behavior.

While developing the prototype and finalising the idea/prototype is the ultimate priority at the moment, it is also crutial we select the correct place for the artifact shall we decide to display it in a public place. 

It would be pointless to develop a great idea designed for people to interact with, and have no on interact with it. Recently I've been reading about how people interact in public spaces and cities, and how people's surroundings can influence their behaviour, and as a result how they affect their surroundings. I've also been observing different public places in Cork City, seeing were would be an appropriate location to set up.

The area need to be away from busy streets and the hustle and bustle of large groups, as people will take no notice, however it also can't in an area so quiet no one will notice it.
Ideally it would be in an area where people are relaxed enough to engage with something like this, while also having the time to spontaneously interact.
That's why an ideal location would be a park or park entrance. This is where people go in a time of leisure to relax, and usually see a lot of footfall, especially in the city centre.

From what observed around the city, areas like Bishop Lucy Park, Fitzgeralds Park, and the benches near the memorial on the South Mall are ideal prospects. This is not only due to the amount of people which pass through them on a daily basis, but because of the relaxed and friendly atmosphere they naturally posses. They are full of people socialising and engaging with one another, and would therefore suit perfectly for the kind of setting to carry out our project.

People relaxing in Bishop Lucy Park

Linked below are a number of interesting articles I've read on The effect of Location on interaction, fostering interaction in cities and how to create public spaces to encourage people to interact. 

Good places for interaction

Fostering Interaction in Cities

Creating public spaces which encourage people to interact

Below is a basic representation of the goal of creating a project like this. The effect it may have on the community, the data that could be collected from it, and the artistic benefits in terms of people coming together and creating music and imagery.