Project Overview
How might we bring attention to the gun violence in Chicago to a wide population?This is an independent project for my Reactive Spaces & Media Architecture course in the IDeATe labs at Carnegie Mellon University. This project exercises my proficiencies in IoT design, visualization, and design for social impact. This project studies the issues of gun violence and gun control in the city of Chicago, Illinois.
Jump to project section: |
Motivation
Tragedy in the Midwest & the Middle East
|
As of September 6th, 2016, there have been 6,888 American deaths in the two wars waged as a result of the September 11th attacks.
There have been 7,916 deaths as a result gun violence in Chicago during the time of these two wars These deaths are largely concentrated on the south and west sides of Chicago in Black and Brown American communities. These victims are often young teenagers and sometimes young children. Though Chicago strictly prohibits the possession of firearms, Indiana does not. Through loopholes, guns from Indiana are funneled into Chicago's south side. |
Inspiration
New York and the Motor City
|
Since 2001, I always viewed the two lights coming from ground zero in lower Manhattan as a guiding path for the 2,996 people that died in the September 11th attacks. I also felt it was the last connection we'd have to feel connected with those that were suddenly and unexpectedly lost. It was a meaningful and powerful demonstration.
|
|
|
The Heidelberg Project by Tyree Guyton is a project that, in part, brought attention to a community that was suffering from blight and decay in Detroit's east side. The visuals were eccentric and, more importantly, disruptive. This disruptiveness brought attention to the community and the issues it faced.
http://www.heidelberg.org |
|
Musical inspiration from Chicago artists:
|
|
Strategy
Start small, then disrupt Chicago's skyline
|
My initial idea used searchlights to shoot beams of light from the various neighborhoods in Chicago where gun violence was happening into the sky. These lights:
|
|
As a starting project, I began to think about using one light and one neighborhood in the south side that 1. would be interested in bringing attention to the issue and 2. could be capable of sustaining such a project. That neighborhood is Hyde Park. Building this project in one location with one light to start could gain popularity and momentum to spread to other neighborhoods.
|
|
Community Participation
Twitter Mentions of Victims' Twitter Handles as Triggers
|
However, the strategy in the previous section still wouldn't provide any voice or interactivity for the loved ones of gun violence in Chicago. As a result, I have created the following concepts:
With no interaction, the light would be a static white color. |
|
A server would wait for Twitter mentions of Twitter handles for Chicago gun violence victims. These tweets would be messages from the victims' loved ones.
|
|
After the tweet is submitted, the light from Hyde Park would briefly change colors, representing the tweet to the loved one. After a few moments, the light would return back to white. The server would then wait for another tweet.
|
Intended Impact
Un-Ignorable, Non-Violent Disruption
|
As the tweets and mentions become proportionate to the gun violence in Chicago, the color changes would become more frequent, more disruptive, and more attractive.
As a result, Chicago's community from Indiana to the greater Chicago area suburbs will see the light. It will humanize the victims and their loved ones as the changes in lights would demonstrate that the victims are still remembered. Though this light will not stop gun violence, it aims to inspire changes in policy and infrastructure to protect the people of Chicago. |
|
If non-action continues and, consequently, Chicago gun violence continues, more lights can be installed in various neighborhoods as initially ideated. Each one can change colors like the single light in Hyde Park. Various lights across the city frequently changing lights will be proportionately representative of the severity of the issue. It is aimed to be disruptive enough that city, state, and federal governments will have to take action. However, the goal is to avoid necessitating more light installations.
|
