1. SET-UP
The idea for this dérive originates in the interest in how the Central Bus Station's spaces effect the human, the social, and the psychological. Therefore, this dérive was carried out with the help of two children: Yasmin (3) and Gev (5).
Through this, the aims where to gain a different, younger perspective on the space, on how to use it, on how to survive in, and through it. Also, we were interested in the factors that would guide the children's movement, in where and on what we would spent time, and in the (social) interactions that we would be confronted with.
2. DÉRIVE
The following timeline and axonometries retrace the dérive.
3. ANALYSIS
3.1 movement: It can overall be stated that people played a minor role in the choice of direction. Visible attractions (see 3.2), however, were the features that were mostly defining the paths chosen. Sounds or smells had no obvious impact. Few other spatial aspects took influence on the unaimed movement. The aimed movement was - of course - of rather direct, focused and faster nature, but was also temoprarily led off track because of interesting things and attractions on the way.
3.2 attractions: As "attractions" everything can be counted that is or can be turned into an element of play through imagination, that is interesting to look at or to spend time with. Thus, obvious attractions were toys, consumable goods, layed out food or arts and sculptures, things that have buttons, can move or can in any possible way be interacted with. Apart from these, quite a lot of architectural elements were attractive for the children to spend time with, in or on. As mentioned before, it was mostly things that were attracting, not people.
Apart from the attracting, there were further spatial features such as light and material that had an impact on the dérive. Overall, it is almost impossible to identify actual places of attraction out of this dérive. All the places that we spent more time in were attractive out of very little features, and not because of a certain space as a whole. In the following, we therefore focus on the attractive elements of the architecture and other spatial features in fractions rather than on spatial units.
4. EVALUATION
4.1 body size and perspective: From a child's perspective, everything is a lot bigger. Thus, hand rails become a climbing element, the ground can be used for sitting. Concidering this, it becomes clear why there was always the necessity to climb on things, or to find look-outs for a greater overview over the station.
4.2 pace and time: Throughout the dérive, our pace was extremely slow (not embracing the instand need of e.g. a toilet). By moving slowly, a lot of detail was discovered by the children, was it art work, toys or other things. At the same time, it is these details that are responsible for slow movement.
4.3 visible attractions: Apart from doing and buying the necessary, the unaimed movement was guided by visible attractions. Neither sound or smell, and also - surprisingly - no people had an impact on moving or staying. Thus, it can be said that the movement was guided by the visible in the Station's space only. It must at this point be mentioned that in this, consumable goods played a big, if not major role.
4.4 light: Since the visible became the most essential in this dérive, light has to be pointed out as an important factor for seeing. Also, light became important for the children to feel safe during the night. Whereas we as adults felt the need for sunlight, the children did not bother to spend the whole day in the artificial lighting of the space.
4.5 rather elements than places: Because of the focus on detail and specific visible attractions, it were rather for specific elements than for the atmosphere or wholeness of greater spaces that the children had a good time.
4.6 going with the architecture: The station provided everything necessary in order to spend 24 hours with children. Thus, there was no need to go outside. Although actual spaces of attraction could not really be identified, the impact of the Station's architecture was still enormous: We never left the building, barely ever crossed an exit, and found all the essential things inside. The way the children moved was different in wide, linear and open spaces than in more hidden and confusing areas.
4.7 the space and the social: Almost every social interaction within the space was adressed by the children themselves. It seemed as if people would really stick to themselves within the station. The only people who adressed us where people who wanted to find either the way out, or to the platforms.
5. CONCLUSION
Summing up the dérive, the Central Bus Station can be seen as an enormous playground and can be decoded into elements of such. Through childrens' eyes, the imagination of their young mind and with enough time, almost everything in the Station can be turned into something fun.
By leading the way, the children showed us how to have good times in the Station on the one, but also how the station and all the details inside effect the psyche of the individual, effect the way people move and act.
