Concept

A surreal journey through a multiverse of decisions made by one character, reflecting on the concept of co-existing multiverses in different places and times.

The Movie

The movie “Everything, Everything All at Once” is definitely surreal in its format, jumping all over the place to communicate the idea of the multiverse of decisions made throughout one’s life. This movie focuses on one character’s journey; each individual since the beginning of time itself has a unique multiverse of decisions and consequences, according to quantum theory of co-existing multiverses in different places and times, but are only fixed when observed (ie the thought experiment of Erwin Schrödinger’s cat) .

Thus in the end it was entirely about the universe she wanted to reside in, which was not repeating the mistakes (as she saw them) of her parents, that due to her own hurt and stubbornness she was in fact repeating,

Thus the nub of the movie, the chance to see and experience the results of infinite ‘what if’s’.

The mundane start, with everyday pressures of balancing time, money and family of just one person in the billions alive in the present, (let alone the past and future), further enlarges (to our limited imagination) the infinite size of the multiverse she was about to cross.

All the actors in her world remained, as it was her world, thus ours would have different influencers and actors to play out our story. She was in fact and would always be the hero of her own journey (ie messianic). The idea of enlightenment was explored by the husband she always wanted, but later realised why she married the man she did, namely to balance her initial fast thinking primary reaction (ref; Kahneman ‘Thinking fast and slow’) to fight like a dragon mother that Chinese women in their 40’s are often stereotyped as being. But this has nothing to do with the other characters, it’s purely her story with everything circulating around her, within her universe, everyone else is an actor responding to her decisions, reminds me of the hard to follow, but brilliant movie “Synecdoche, New York,” directed by Charlie Kaufman, an incredibly surreal journey into the life, times and draining disappointments of a playwright, who has the opportunity to write, direct, produce and star in his own play entirely about himself, gradually realising the futility of it all and life’s simple but often consequently devastating decisions, acted out before him.

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Using the Park to fill a need

Conceptual sketch of connection

Mood Board

Precedent Images

Model

1;1000 plan

Using the Grounds to become a cross roads for desire lines (i.e.the shortest routes from A to B) that people will use. Connecting the various areas within TW, both past and present.
In particular the new shopping centre, with a bridge going directly (at an elevated level) to the park (with the bonus of underground parking being covered by the park).
This allows for retail, in particular the lunch time crowd to gather at the upper part of the park (see below). Circulation is important for choices and uses of the space. So, a short term stay in the upper park or a longer more relaxed exploration of the grounds. A return visit to a memorable spot, a concert, a visit to the restaurant at the top of the grounds, ice skating in the winter with the bonus of a nice hot brew from the cafe.

Circulation Plan

So we have got the people in the park, now for them to move around, explore
and discover what the park has to offer.

A big issue with parks is the simplistic view of what they should be. Too many Councils still hold onto the old Victorian view of a place to parade on a Sunday.
A park must function within the context that it resides. So in this a case, the fact that its in the middle of a busy town. So easy access for the brief and regular visiting crowd of lunch timers. Therefore, Provide food, somewhere to sit, to people watch (the most common sport in the world), to meet, (especially at a corner or a junction i.e. a place) and finally provide water, to watch and interact with.
None of this should be assumed to work, so the study below produced in 1980 in New York by the famous (or should be) Mr Holly Whyte will enlighten if the concept of place making is new to you.

All Town Planners, Urban Designers, Landscape Architects and Architects must and should watch this before undertaking ANY Project concerning public space.

From a previous blog

Its about People………..Stupid

I have been going on about this study along with a book titled ‘A Visual Approach To Park Design’ by Albert J Rutledge. Chicago city started an organisation called ‘Project for Public spaces’ which was inspired by Fred Kent one of Whyte’s assistants on the project below. A massive resource of idea’s that I wished I looked into further before compiling the document ( I skimmed the edges as lack of TIME like all of us). If i have a passion its making places that effect peoples lifes for the better on a daily basis. Which I realise Parks are one of them. Can you imagine Calverley becoming ‘A Place’ again? Sod the fancy stuff, get the basics right…..See below.

About PPS « Project for Public Spaces – Placemaking for Communities

So here is the video in question. Made in 1980 (when most of you less than a twinkling in somebody’s eye ), but still relevant. Like good music if the quality is there then its timeless. Thus this research video. An hour long, but totally fascinating. Applies to both parks, the low traffic flow of TW thus need to attract, and the high traffic of Jubilee, need to retain.

I would be interested on your thoughts.

For me, it was the answer to the big question, Why should anybody visit my park, or to put it another way, how do I make my park ‘A Place’ rather than a field?

https://archive.org/embed/SmallUrbanSpaces

https://archive.org/details/SmallUrbanSpaces

On the third viewing (…sad I know) the point of ratio of human space. Too wide and the distance will not be to scale, and narrowness in not necessarily a deterrent. To finish, a quote from the great man himself,

“I end then in praise of small spaces. The multiplier effect is tremendous. It is not just the number of people using them, but the larger number who pass by and enjoy them vicariously, or even the larger number who feel better about the city center for knowledge of them. For a city, such places are priceless, whatever the cost. They are built of a set of basics and they are right in front of our noses. If we will look.” ‘William H.(Holly) Whyte (1917-1999)’

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, Washington, D.C.: The Conservation Foundation, 1980.