'Sign' of the Times: A New Greenway is Born in the 'High Line'

GREENWAY-HIGHLINE

GREENWAY-

(High Line, New York)

What is real!? Is this world a complex synaptic creation of our own making? Or, is there some form of greater collective creation occurring? Marc Bedarida ("Walking through the Psychogeography of Paris") - Architecture instructor at GT College of Architecture - suggests, “all the material of our mind borders on these zones of the unknown and the frightening”. The newest planted promenade of New York -  more passionately referred to as the High Line - is an example of the spectacles that we create amongst us – incongruities between subject and meaning – which give rise to an uncertain strangeness and fear we experience as urban dwellers.

The High Line is an exquisite piece of eco-revelatory design in its own right, and novel to New York. Similar to the spectacle created in Paris that is the Viaduc Daumesnil (Viauc des Arts), however, the High Line “is not a set of images, but a social relationship between people, mediated by the image, whose production takes place along the way” (Bedarida, "Walking through the Psychogeography of Paris"). It is this image or sign that becomes the benchmark from which we base our existence, and its meaning. The form and its meaning(s) enable us to comprehend our place in society and give meaningful participation to our daily interactions. As the philosopher/literary theorist Roland Barthes ("Mythologies") would suggest, it is the constant evolution of signifiers, through the process of signification, that the conversion of reality into speech takes place. As our realities change, so does our language. This language may take many forms, and is not limited to oral speech. The nature of the signifier - its instability – permits such mutation and generation of language.

The signifier is unstable. In this there can be no literal meaning as it is a mere icon - the symbolic form to which is attached many alternate realities as are evidenced by the many 'Friend of the High Line' - http://www.thehighline.org. The sign’s inherent difference – both to defer meaning and differ in its expression – is the condition that provides a level of signification that we may comprehend. As we can deduce from the French philosopher Derrida ("Margins of Philosophy"), it is this point he illustrates regarding the lack of inherent meaning in a particular signifier. Signs can hold universal meaning, but also possess meanings of regional and historical potency also. It is this fact that contributes to their inherent instability.

As one might deduce from Derrida ("Margins of Philosophy"), the bridges and aqueducts that comprise the Viaduc Daumesnil in Paris along with the rails and steel trestles of the High Line in New York are simply “instruments of nostalgia”. In reclaiming the historical rail corridor to provide an exclusive pedestrian route through the city, the designers have, in fact, preserved these original features and fixed them within a spatial and temporal continuum. Reality, not fiction, becomes the driving force behind the processes of signification, and also to what Jorge Silvetti referred to as mythification. It is here that Derrida’s notions of temporization and spacing occurs simultaneously. Arguably, the elevated and reclaimed rail line, “loudly proclaim[ing] the loss of its original function” (Bedarida, "Walking through the Psychogeography of Paris") leads to an estrangement of its visitors. The estrangement felt by visitors to this place is a direct result of the mythical preference for images lacking significant meaning (Roland Barthes, "Mythologies"). The visitors “become the space of time” at the same time the place is “becoming the time of space”.

As Bedarida ("Walking through the Psychogeography of Paris") suggests, the paradox of all gentrification: “who acts loses the world, but even those who [simply] want to hold onto it lose it too”. The signs we create are realities that defer to something other than itself, often referencing a historical past. The High Line, while a fantastic amenity for the City of New York, is an example of the evocative power of a sign’s lack of presence – presence of its literal meaning. Unfortunately, a common subconscious tendency towards creating a language with such unstable meaning eventually leads to perpetual discontentment.

(Viaduc Daumesnil, Paris)

Musical Infrastructure and Muting the Mundane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw

As evidenced by an increasingly obese society and an increase in the use of automated over manual modes of circulation stairs, like music, can be boring (recall the blandness of elevator music), decreasing the likelihood of their use and attraction. Unlike the geographical uniqueness of music, however, nearly everyone on the planet is confronted with the banality of stairs. Referred to as "choice architecture" - that which is designed to encourage positive behaviour - it is installations like that above that give hope to a world that is mundane, robotic, and often devoid of excitement. Human behaviour, without question, is one of the most difficult beasts to tame due to its learned, positive/negatively rewarded, and ritualistic repetition. While the more pragmatic aspects of design call upon solutions that aspire to directness, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, there is an unforgotten element that is either overlooked or simply ignored - fun!

The same can be said for playgrounds. Do we need any more evidence - other than the stark realities of absent bodies - that our 'modern' playgrounds merely attempting to mimic nature are dysfunctional and breed inactivity? In a world where danger and the "Wilderness of Childhood" has been lost to OSHA-compliant standards and 'modern' Building Codes, and technological advancement has bred laziness and homogeneity, our cities are in need of the bizarre, the unusual, and a dash of danger. The replacement of our simplest and most basic modes of circulation and navigation have been over-thought, and replaced by a trite system of distractions and reservations such as escalators, 'Healthbeat' and 'Natural Elements' climbers, and Chuck E Cheese 'Discovery Zones'. Attempts at increasing speed between A and B and heightening our corporeal sensibilities of play while remaining safe have addressed the wrong design questions. Choice and the ability to manipulate our environment to suit our mood, desire, or simply our need for self-expression have given way to underutilized urban fixtures and lack of an evolving collective memory. 

I digress, which brings me back to the reason I got so excited when I was sent the video above. When buildings and environments are designed, space and light are often considered, but what about sound? Music relieves the stress and tedium of the day-to-day commute. An ability to have a part in the creation of that music is exemplary. Why shouldn't we be able to take advantage of our surrounding sonic environment; utilizing infrastructure to enhance appealing sounds and solicit interaction, while using architecture to block undesirable sounds.

Stairs and urban infrastructure play an integral part in our daily lives. Music and the ability to have a say in our environmental interactions has the ability to remove the tediousness and stress of the daily commute. A recent article on the writings of Michael Chabon reveals "childhood is, or has been, or ought to be, the great original adventure". Child or adult, the great adventure through our cities' spaces is best experienced serendipitously, through accumulated local knowledge, and curiosity. We need the bizarre, the slightly dangerous, and most of all the fun to allow us to release our inhibitions, and give us pause for cause throughout our daily lives.

7 Wonders: 'Beyond Citi-Dome'

As part of my quest to 'learn the City' I attempt to visit some of the more historical, edgy, even bizarre places that exist outside of the upper east side neighbourhood where I currently reside. The first in a series of exploratory adventures through the environs and destinations of New York - Met's/Willet's Point on the 7 line.

Seemingly not much to get off the train for here unless you're heading to a ball game, I manage to navigate my way down the platform toward the newly named 'Citi-Field'. I am headed in the direction of a community that stands isolated between two expressways, a vast no-mans-land of parking and the Flushing Bay slough. I have it on good information that this place promises not to disappoint.

I head east across a very lonely and desolate expanse of asphalt that surrounds the Mets stadium. Without warning I am immediately part of something other-worldly. I'm struck by the automotive reality that confronts and immediately engulfs me. An apocalyptic scene one can best describe as resembling the film Mad Max, I suddenly lose the ease in my stride as I feel eyes piercing my clothes. Perhaps it was my white sneakers or my camera, or perhaps it was the fact that I didn't show up in my car; I was somewhere very unfamiliar.

Shiny rims, stereos, tires, and whole chassis' piled high like cans of tuna; this was a well-oiled (nearly dripping in it) world of everything automobile. From the inconspicuous young man that served as the hamlet's gate-keeper, to the hoards of people that stood in front of their shops soliciting buyers not dissimilar to prostitutes calling at john's, this was an intriguing study in social behaviour and community I will never forget.

While there is no question that what happens in Willet's Point, stays in Willet's Point, this community of car aficionados and skilled workers seems to exist solely on the local knowledge and word-of-mouth recommendations of those who are seeking to maintain, or 'pimp' their rides. In this seemingly cash only world of pot-holes, rusting facades, and diners with an apparent lack of patrons there is undoubtedly a frightening charm that exists. This charm is only heightened by the fact that there is an embodied energy that exists here that is unlike the empty and ephemeral destination of its neighbour, 'Citi-Field'. Unfortunately, it is the increasing sterilization of 'Citi's' that leaves us less for the discovery of place. (Thank you Alex for your recommendation - I love this place!)

Facebook and the Futuristic Evolution of Landscape

Recently returned from a vacation in the Galapagos Islands I found myself immersed and inspired by the writing and work of Adriaan Geuze - founder and principal of West 8 - as well as some Saturday morning commentary observing a "mass exodus" from 'Facebook'. It is suggested that this significant cultural shift away from such this social media hyper-tool is analogous to kids getting rid of a new toy. Charles Darwin, nearly 150 years ago, hypothesized “it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Darwin called this “descent with modification”. In contemporary society Adriaan Geuze suggests “there is no need to make a new environment that is adapted to man, because man can assimilate into environment”. Perhaps such a "mass exodus" from 'Facebook' is not simply an intelligent choice based upon preference or novelty but something much more (RE)evolutionary - an impulsive force of change geared to survival. Arguably, what Geuze suggests differs, somewhat, to his notion of “Moving Beyond Darwin”. Rather, the landscapes Geuze and West 8 strive to create are radically modified from those of the past, instead following an accelerated pattern of Darwinian evolution.

No longer does nature select the most suitable adaptation for its particular environment. Humans of the 21st century are confronted with light-speed advancements in technology and artificial nature, continuously appropriating their own environments. We experience the landscape like chameleons, forever morphing according to our surroundings – as tourists, recreationists, commuters, and "friends". As we move toward experiencing more of our landscapes from highways and airplanes, a barrage of images, signs, and symbols confronts us. Unlike the scenic meandering of natural landscapes of the past, ‘nature’ has become signified – another image we have appropriated for positive corporate image and financial gain. It is human ‘nature’ that currently determines environmental suitability as it relates to our inherent hedonistic and surrealistic tendencies – “combining different atmospheres and different possibilities together” (Geuze, "Modern Park Design: Recent Trends").

Our ability to assimilate into the landscapes of contemporary society suggests that as designers, we need to engage in a paradigmatic shift. The composed landscape is no longer the environment that undulates picturesquely. Our contemporary landscapes are provoking a reflection of the more transient qualities of cyber space. Human beings have become immersed in a futuristic landscape as they glide through it in a streamlined movement; frequently experiencing the world as trends of time and space. Place is no longer static and content. Adriaan Geuze, and the work of West 8 has attempted to participate in this shift, successfully illustrating an accelerated “move[ment] beyond Darwin”. No longer is it enough to relinquish control to a ‘nature’ that has been socially and culturally constructed. “We need to create surrealistic environments, we should provide anarchic environments and even subversive cities and green areas” (Geuze, "Modern Park Design: Recent Trends").

West 8's Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam is a surreal and subversive solution contemporary society requires. The square provides the user “with the tools for their behaviour” (Geuze, "Modern Park Design: Recent Trends"). These tools, like the social media devices of our times, speed our assimilation into the changing and elusive environment. Use of unconventional surface materials, exaggerated monolithic structures and anarchic exposure of infrastructure create not shock, but creativity, furthering the evolution of more conventional site design. The square’s 'incompleteness' initiates a dialogue between the user and the landscape – “the idea that the square could evolve as it went along” (Geuze, "Modern Park Design: Recent Trends"). The users become manipulated by the space, thus becoming more aware of their place within it. “What matters is not the design, or the beauty of the dimensions, materials, and colours, but the sensation of a detached culture, that which the [user] creates” (Geuze, "Artifical Landscape"). Evolutionary adaptation is thus accelerated and made much more efficient.

Geuze’s extension of Darwinistic theory is also evident in his design for the Oosterschelde storm-barrier in Zeeland. With the anarchic manipulation of ‘nature’, the agrarian order to the Delta landscape is restored after being previously disrupted during the damming of the East Coast of Holland. This initial disturbance of the Delta works was extremely disruptive to the migrant bird population. Geuze’s artificial plateau mimics ‘nature’ in a way that facilitates assimilation into the environment. For the human observer, spectating is the only option. However, for the birds “space transforms anonymity into exhibitionism” (Geuze, "Artifical Landscape").

Are the trends and modes of connection to others and our environment losing their novelty and falling short of their purpose? Must our landscapes reflect the more transient and hyper-evolved qualities and functions of cyber space and 'Facebook'? Perhaps Geuze’s notion of Post-Darwinism is misunderstood and misinterpreted. It may be better acknowledged through its association with the founding principles of Darwinian thought. However, as long as their are landscape solutions such as those of Geuze and the West 8 team, that truly illustrate a conceptual understanding of the evolutionary process, we may take solace in the fact that the process which he perpetuates will undoubtedly accelerate our movement through, and into the landscape.

Bagels, Frogs, and Neco Gardens: Criticism or Mythification

Contemporary criticism of landscape architectural design is often superficial and barely evaluative. The technical aspects, aesthetic qualities and visual experience of the site, and the design’s relationship with its surroundings are continually judged for their merits. Such cursory assessments of the designed landscape perpetuate our complacence with prevailing ideological constructs. Martha Schwartz’s work is a step toward a renewed criticism – one that seeks to critique contemporary design using her landscapes as the medium for such discourse. However, her "return to language” fails to critique the larger ideological constructs of our time. Instead, Martha Schwartz’s landscapes become mythified – landscapes expressing a (her) fetishistic obsession with materials.

Much of the work of Martha Schwartz does succeed on a purely visual level. By abstracting traditional forms and manipulating their composition and materiality, her designs demand the attention of those within proximity to them. However, we cannot know whether society, outside of the design professions, is able to decipher the metaphorical references she presents. At the very least, she succeeds at soliciting a visual response and moment of curiosity. Landscapes such as the County Jail Plaza in Seattle evoke a strong visceral response. Such potent imagery is often the foundation upon which cultural memory is produced. But beyond a self-absorbed experimentation with materials to create 'visible' landscapes, Schwartz’s work arguably provides little but a running commentary on the nature of landscape architecture as a “product of culture”.

As the Architect and theoretical critic Jorge Silvetti (GSD) states in "The Beauty of Shadows" (1977), it is “not the simple manipulation of known codes” that elicits criticism from within. The true test is one in which the landscape becomes a work of learning, “a discovering in the object latent properties that were not perceived in the initial context”. Schwartz manipulates the ideological constructs of contemporary society; the codes of traditional landscape architectural design. It is her obsession with the materiality of her landscapes, however, that leads to their transparency. Susan Herrington - "Strange Scenes within the Landscape" - suggests that “transgression of materials shows us that physical forms, natural or representative of nature, need not be dictators of meaning and metaphor in landscape architecture”. She continues by citing Martha Schwartz’s criticism of the types of materials landscape architects habitually use in her repetitive use of unconventional materials. Is Scwartz’s use of “commercialized language”, in fact, perpetuating this dictatorship of meaning and metaphor in contemporary landscape architecture? As the 18th and 19th century societies reified a hyper-naturalized image of nature in order to comprehend life, Martha Schwartz continues the process of mythification by attempting to subvert the products of our contemporary culture.

The prevailing ideology of progress in modern day society lies at the heart of the work of Martha Schwartz. Conforming to this ideology, she succeeds at marking an era; an era of technological expediency. In her attempts to articulate space in ways previously unimagined, Schwartz ironically finds herself creating an illusion – “one into which one can only look, can travel through only with the eye” (Greenberg, "Modernist Painting"). Arguably, much like the architecture of Hejduk or Gehry, Schwartz’s landscapes are “devoid of any metaphorical or representative value except that of itself . . . - a mask which points to itself”  (Silvetti, "The Beauty of Shadows").

Branding the Land

Intentional or not? Forget crop circles! I came across this photo series in the English 'Telegraph':

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5756528/Aerial-photographs-showcase-A-to-Z-of-the-British-Isles.html

As we begin to zoom out, away from the perspectival experiences of our daily lives, we begin to make greater sense (or not) of the world and the connections that abound around us. As Corbusier's spatial vision was profoundly influenced by modern aviation, today's designers are becoming immersed and, arguably obsessed with the expanded perceptual possibilities of technological advancement from the comfort of our offices and homes. The bird's eye view is no longer a proprietary quality of winged species, or airplanes. No, the limits of humanist perspective are being transcended to achieve a new legibility that is more associated with the cosmic, or other-worldly.

As our cities densify and space becomes evermore finite and valued, the ability to reconcile and address the spatial potential of what Corbusier called the "fifth facade" becomes critical. Our modern awareness and consciousness are constantly evolving. With the ease and ability to view and design from above, I posit that a new understanding of modernist space has has emerged - the aerial perspective.

This fourth dimension was explored by James Corner in 'Taking Measures across the American Landscape". Given that our modes of design are a reflection of our consciousness at the time, how are we adapting to the ever present experience of the fourth dimension? And how does this experience differ from that of 2-D and 3-D.

Are these brands on the land merely attempts at finding ones own version of Jesus Christ on a piece of cheese toast? Or, does the way we experience the world around (and below) us unconsciously move us to imbue it with such sarcastically familiar arrangements? Like the mysteries of the crop circles themselves I honestly don't know what to believe. However, the more advanced and 'modern' we become, the differentiation between subject and object will move ever closer to reveal a continued and renewed awareness of itself.

Advancing Function of our Cities Supporting Tissues

INTERSTITIAL SPACE;
Generally, an interstitial space or interstice is an empty space or gap between spaces full of structure or matter.
INTERSTITIAL SPACE (BIOLOGY);
In the lungs there is an interstitial space between capillaries (tiny blood vessels) and the alveoli (the microscopic air-filled sacs in the lungs responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere).

As I have been exploring my new Upper East Side neighbourhood in New York, along with the City as a whole, I am taken by the proliferation of unused interstitial space that abounds. Never mind the lack of green roofs or productive landscapes throughout, I am more curious and perplexed by the amount of square footage that is barred from access, underutilised, or outright abandoned. 

Increasing my bewilderment I received a weekly update from one of the many RSS feeds I subscribe to to learn about the design community, public and professional life in New York City. This  MAS (The Municipal Art Society of NYC) hosted forum is in honour of Jane Jacob's and her work in seeking common sense solutions to urban problems. The 'big question' of the evening is whether or not "farming amidst New York's concrete jungle is a realistic possibility". Am I missing something here? Are we just beginning to consider it as a possibility and not proceeding with efforts to make it a reality!?  I, of course, am blessed to be coming from a climate such as Vancouver's where we, in fact, look for opportunities to inhibit growth of plant life. But perhaps the novel idea of 'greening' the urban environment in a more 'productive' way has simply had more passionate support in other areas of the continent, and the world. 

Much work and research has been done on the benefits of urban agriculture and its ability to provide an alternative to a reliance on sprawling farms on the peripheries of our cities. That said, there certainly are other questions that relate more  to the urban design implications of this possible future. Can we accommodate enough agriculturally productive space without foregoing our more socially sustainable 'in-between' spaces? Do they need to be mutually exclusive? 

Greenskins Lab under the umbrella of  the UBC|SALA program is making great headway in research related to green envelopes and agriculture in the context of the city. 

http://www.greenskinslab.sala.ubc.ca/cover.htm

As we stop to consider a future "if buildings were the new lungs of cities", I beg to take the vision one step further in the context of my urban wanderings. Particularly fond of the established analogy between human physiology and urban development and city building I wish to suggest a future where no space is non-functional, not even those interstitial spaces that beg intervention. What if the streets and interstitial spaces were the capillaries and alveoli of the cities new lungs?

Homogenization of Landscape and 'Culture of the Copy'

Marketing has no professional boundaries. We have moved into a 'beyond-modern' arena where brands are participants. Not simply the domain of corporate America's 'manifesto for success', the greater environment we as individuals design and inhabit are increasingly becoming the recipients of attention. With an ability to convey image and an iconography that breeds familiarity and homogeneity, such 'brandscapes' are serving no purpose other than to elevate its creator to star status.

Collectively forming the infrastructure of the information landscape, public space and site design continue to respond to the needs and desires of those that fund, build, and design them, but also become opportunities for the self-expression of one individual and/or organization. A new opportunity for transformation and identity, 'brandscapes' are that which become increasingly familiar with repeated intervention and exposure.

Increasing numbers of commercial companies and civic councils are seeking out star designer and/or firms to transform their cities in an attempt to earn themselves a seat at the table of global recognition - indirectly boosting their economic performance and favour of their citizenry. They see an opportunity to "brand their outdoor spaces by means of a narrative of or set or interrelated symbols". Toronto, New York, Bilbao, and Dubai are a few of the more globally-minded, urban centres that seek such creativity and input into their cities.

There is a trade-off I believe, where the rise and popularity of superstar designers/firms inevitably lead to the downfall of such places. Consistently seeking to 'outdo' their predecessor, or adjacent neighbour, these public and privately designed spaces lose their ability to heal and provide for its inhabitants. Instead they become trophies that brief the pages of glossy books and magazines, and often earn awards bestowed by those of the same ilk.

Perhaps I am overly cynical, or simply concerned. I embrace the work of conceptualist landscape architecture, but believe in the Olmstedian tradition of naturalism also. This could very well be where such cognitive dissonance resides in defining the multi-faceted profession in which I practice. I believe in our creative and healing tendencies as human beings. I also believe that these qualities are, in fact, inherent to human nature. Where the dividing line lies for me is 'humans being nature' - using design and landscapes to "speak to people of the human condition" in a manner that is purely based upon enterprise. What is our message?

Strengthening Brand Participation and the Urban Landscape

Like falling asleep during another episode of Fox 5 news, or gazing apathetically at the brutal dismemberment of an innocent victim in Saw 6, I find myself desensitized to the escalating tick-tick-tick of the national deficit clock heading horrifically toward hedonistic hell. This omnipresent icon of doom sits proudly above Union Square in New York City taunting its passers-by - a forecast foreshadowing of future economic failure. No one seems to give it a second look.

This sits near one of New York's more vibrant public spaces - Times Square - and it strikes me as ironic that one would not find New York's citizenry violently attempting to dismantle such a provocatively evolving ode to the failures of capitalist consumption - the ultimate reminder of a commercial assault on public space. Instead, a sub-consciously supported mockery of a useless paper currency finds itself churning silently and without attraction at the heart of one of the City's more prominent locations. Perhaps the lack of attention people pay to this archi-folly merely epitomizes the value the world places in the American greenback.

There remains hope for humanity, however, as it is not the National deficit clock that we seek to watch. Thankfully the recent transformation and 'pedestrianized' amenities to Times Square provide the theatrical structure to the real tick-tick-tick of a climbing deficit - we, the people. Hoards of tourists, traveling salesmen and 'tickled pink' power-shoppers sway between stores like the ebb and tide of the Hudson River. Thankfully, public space is not all about moving from channels where brands are law enforcers.  We are a society becoming more familiar with  moving from channels to arenas where brands are participants. Public space will once again provide the arena for economic growth, or at least a place for another yoga class.

Pulse of Place

In its center, however, the functional behavior of breathing and heart rhythm produces a balance, thereby forming an organic foundation for rhythmic-musical sensations and actions. And, at the same time, we must not forget that this three link structure of human time organism is linked and infiltrated as a whole by the cosmic proportions and harmon­ies of environmental rhythms. 

Following my obsession with music, and the psychosomatic effects both it and landscapes have on me, I have been seeking research connections between one and the other. I'm sure all of us have, at one time, either played or even purchased a 'landscape' music CD or MP3 to help us relax, wind down, and 'tranceport' us to a place where we feel connected to the powers of the natural world. I recently found a discussion forum hosted by a National Parks warden where a panel of musicians and historians discussed the inspiration they found in landscape. I posit, however, that there is an equally powerful force that begets the planners and designers of our public and private spaces. I believe deeply in the power of music to shape our world and the places we inhabit.

We can find empirical evidence of the psychosomatic effects experiencing landscape scenery has on the enhanced physical recovery of the human body and its psyche. The patterns of cerebral activity are similar to those experienced when listening to music. However, connections with either of these art forms - site/space design and music - continue to transcend verbal communication (forms of non-verbal communication); forms of communication that effect us beyond conscious thought. This may explain the proliferation of "architecture's adagio of strings" - space design with it's own inherent soundtrack - more popularly known as 'fly-throughs' or visualizations. These conceptual visions help to convey the 'pulse' intended for a particular landscape and, I believe, ultimately manifest themselves in the physical construction of each space.

More correlated with that of 12:8 time, Olmsted believed that the passive experience of "pleasurable rural scenery" was the antidote, the mitigating factor to the ailments of urban life and its harsh daily realities. While arguably more powerful than the passive activities that one might pursue in the urban environment, the activity of cities is infused with a unique allegro counter to the relaxing beats per minute of Beethoven's 'Pastorale' or Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'. I would argue that infusing our urban spaces with the inspiration and emotive responses of music reflects a more holistic approach, or attempt at enhancing the publics connection to their environment. The corporeal responses we experience in reaction to our environment is a direct response to the manifestation of musical anthems - tempos, rhythms, repetitions, and bpm's - through visual cues.