MJS: Instruction Set for Strangers

Milan Gary
Oct 16, 2017
2 min read

Make strangers interact with both each other and your creation

This project was fun! My partner Franky and I had to come up with a way to get strangers to interact with our creation and each other.

Step 1: Location

- Strangers exist in all spaces and places, so our first step was finding out where we wanted this installation.

- Walking throughout NYC Franky and I were just observing various public spaces.

- We decided on a bus stop!

Step 2: Research

- Franky and I observed various different bus stops

- We observed and analyzed:

-What people wait at the bus stop? Age? Ethnicity?

-What do people do while waiting at the bus stop?

- What time to people usually wait at the bus stop? For how long?

-Do people at bus stops interact with each other? How?

-We documented all of this research!

Step 3: Our Creation

Idea 1

- Franky and I started with an ambitious idea. We wanted to create a box that had a small screen. On this box would be various buttons that reflected different emotions. Hanging on the wall of the bus stop, we were assuming that users would push the button that best fits their mood. Then on the screen the number would increase. This number would represent the how many people interacted with the piece.

Pitching this idea to our professors, they encouraged us to simplify our idea. Less tech and also, HOW would this device get users to interact with each other

Idea 2

- Franky and I decided to use mirrors. Mirrors can easily grab peoples attention when placed in the proper location. By leaving behind markers and an erasure, we hoped that people waiting or walking by would interact with the mirrors.