Music performance in public space presentation

Vivian Doumpa

Brian Doucet

EcHoPolis Conference

Athena, Greece

29/9 – 3/10, 2013

Public Space in NEED for Revitalization

CREATIVITY

Keywords: Public Art Street Art Guerrilla Pop-Up Tactical Creativity DIY Temporary Bottom-Up Spontaneous Community-driven

THE GUERRILLA GENERATION

Missing keyword:

Sound Music (Performance)

Missing link:

Music Public Space Revitalization

To what extent does

Music Performance in Public Space

change

the Perception

that people might have about

the Quality of that place?

Research Gap:

Music and Performance Arts in Public Space

Sense of hearing

Listening

Music Cognition

THE CASE STUDY

Navarinou Square - Thessaloniki

Navarinou Square (source: Bing Maps)

The gypsy-swing musicians who performed during the research. Swing till you drop: (from left to right) Chris Kosides, Yiannis Vakaloudis and Kostas Vaporidis.

View video here: http://youtu.be/eBt9bUyMnbs

CO

MFO

RT

CO

MFO

RT

“I don’t usually spend time in the square. But today that I liked it I thought of sitting for a while… and I sat. And I liked it a lot that there are swing musicians today!”

COM

MU

NIT

Y &

SO

CIA

BIL

ITY

“(...) I have made friends... other moms... we have made friendships, my child has made friends, and as a result my day goes on more pleasantly”

picture captured by an interviewee

AC

CES

SIB

ILIT

Y “(...) it is a very dear place for the people. It has lots of people; as soon as the sun comes out ‘pop!’ everyone comes here in the square. The square fills immediately. The square...is the centre, it is... where everyone gathers. (...) Navarinou Square is a trademark!”

March 2012

USE

“Back in the days it used to have more people, it used to concentrate more people. Now there is not so much. Nowadays people also have difficulties (financial), so it is reasonable that they don’t go out as much as they used to do”.

picture captured by an interviewee

The contribution of the music performance on perception and experience

“there should be more activities, a little bit of music”

Picture taken by an interviewee from the nearby cafeteria

“I mean, you watch the music, you watch the people sitting and observing… it is nice!”

“…music relaxes. You feel that something exists”

“May I at least buy you a cup of coffee?” …suggests this woman to the musicians

when they said that they do not collect money, but they perform for pleasure.

“few days ago I came across a band that was playing the violin... it was very nice, because we were in the park on the one hand, but on the other, we were also listening to music... and the children were dancing…”

“Yes, (music in public space) is something very pleasant, and sometimes in the square there are people who either sing opera songs, or play accordion and generally I believe that these events give a different touch…”

…one week later, without the music…

music in public space does not have a direct effect on people’s perceptions regarding the quality of a place

>>> intensity of problems

<<< effect of music

“Clichés of Public Speech”

Yi-Fu Tuan, 1977

…hmmm…?

Spatial Experiences

Perceptual Experiences

MUSIC feelings memories

T h e u n e x p e c t e d f a c t o r

THE GREEK CRIS IS

Music in Public Space

Creative Placemaking - Culture-Led Regeneration

Humanization of Planning – Collaborative Approaches

Successful and Qualitative Urban Realms

Top-to-Down

Collaborative Policy Making

Bottom-Up

Symbolisms of music

Emotions provoked

Identity of space – Placemaking

Desired planning strategy

Recommendation: !!! Quality of Music !!!

Recommendation: !!! Don’t over-plan !!!

Otherwise:

<<< creativity

<<< spontaneity

<<< engagement

The planner's and policy maker's role should be to create the ideal conditions for the musical activities to flourish, rather than to exclusively focus on organizing top-down festivals and events themselves.

Appreciate Grassroots and Pop-Up!

MUSIC

- interaction

- socialization

- usability

STATE

- infrastructure

- maintenance

Final Goal: TRIANGULATION

“I was wandering around the old town when I heard a saxophone from around the corner and, following the sound, found the musician playing alone in a snow-covered square. The pleasure of the experience was that it was so unexpected, unlike the feeling that buskers today are placed in strategic spots, which takes away the joy of the moment of discovery.”

Anna Minton, 2009

T H A N K YO U V E R Y M U C H

Special thanks to Chris Kosides, Giannis Vakaloudis & Kostas Vaporidis

Christianna Vei, Efi Votsou & Aris Stathis

Vivian Doumpa – vivian.doumpa@gmail.com

Brian Doucet - b.m.doucet@uu.nl

Echopolis, Athens, October 2013 Find full research here: http://bit.ly/101LBjq