CIVIC/GLOBAL SERVICE
&
RESPONSIBILITY
“Earn your success based on service to others, not at the expense of others.”
Photos taken from my Vertical Decisions presentation & Design Process
Diversity & inclusion are very important values to me. I was able to gain a better perspective on how diversity and inclusivity can play a crucial role in Civic/Global Service & responsibility during my time abroad.
As part of the Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning study abroad program, students were taken through a designated 3.94-kilometer site. With that being said, students were then broken up into individual teams of 3-4 students; each team was required to have at least one Texas A&M Urban Planning student, one Texas A&M Landscape Architecture student, and one Penn State Landscape Architecture student. Each tea chose a particular location within the 3.94-kilometer site that stood out for various therapeutic, emotional, and/or aesthetic reasons. My team chose a site designed in the form of a concrete bridge, intended for public use located on a major intersection. The view from the top of the bridge allowed for pedestrians and bikers to overlook oncoming trains as well as various parts of Bonn, Germany.
Through our research we noticed that this area contained a very diverse demographic. The design team wished to create a project which would encompass each type of demographic, all while allowing immigrants, visitors, and tourists to feel welcome. Inclusivity was one of the main focuses of the project. It was after these goals were instated that led to the creation of the “Vertical Decisions” public art installation. The idea of manipulating movement, and creating a cathartic art piece, all while merging diverse diverse cultures appealed to my team.
Those experiencing the public art installation were manipulated through the public art installation in various ways. Since the area consisted of consisted of many fast-paced city-goers in a rush, the art installation required the public to stop, take a different path and/or ponder the various life choices which were written in front of them. From this, the name “Vertical Decisions” was created. For this artwork, vertically reaching wooden poles were constructed. Each pole contained various different decisions the public could read and then decide for themselves which decision to make. Each pole had a different choice: “Money or Love”, “Stop or Go”, “Left or Right”, “Past or Future”, and “Success or Failure”. Through the demographic data which we obtained we noticed the area had a very concentrated demographic of English, French, German and Turkish speakers. Each decision was written in each language with the hopes of encompassing the diversity within the area. After having seen the responses of “Vertical Decisions”, Team Two decided to use the concept of inclusivity to create areas in which diverse communities could come together and feel welcome and safe.
Through my time abroad I was exposed to various cultures, and languages which I had never experienced prior to my time in Europe. During this experience I was truly able to grasp the importance of creating welcoming and safe places anyone can enjoy. I believe that my time in the MLPD Program has allowed me to sharpen the skills, which were gained abroad, to then create enduring spaces while also considering my responsibility to civil & global service.