Design for Social Interaction

My favorite article in this week’s collection was the short reading title "The Rough Theater." I thought he was making a very interesting point regarding the architecture of theater spaces and the circumstances that need to be present in order for effective social communications and interactions. I have been in buildings or space before that are gorgeous and super organized, but sometimes they feel sterile and almost too pretty and efficient. Humans feel at home in a certain amount of chaos, I definitely agree with that point. At a hotel I stayed at in New York, they had an impressive business lounge area with perfect cube seats and organized meeting rooms that offered impressive amenities, but nobody was there! Everyone instead was in the more natural seating area which featured a birdsong soundtrack playing over the speakers, and guests were seated on the floor on raised platforms with very low tables. Pillows and natural background noise replaced the uneasy silence and sleek edges of the business area. I thought it was an interesting comparison, because lots of elements of design are based around not only the idea of symmetry and logical pattern, but also flow and rhythm and variation.

The connection he made with sound also made total sense! One is so aware of the artificiality of certain sounds in electronic music, it really can't be compared at all to the naturalism and soothing nature of real music from real instruments. That’s one reason I am so interested in Foley and sounds construction in post-production of films. After watching ‘Listen,’ I was so aware of how much work, detail, and attention had to be paid to creating a specific soundscape for someone simply walking around their property. But it was so beautiful, it enhanced the overall experience because you were so able to focus on the audio as well as the visual elements.