Urbanism: The Bystander Effect


Research Topic

This project is to create an installation art that reflects to how human reacts toward a distress situation occurring to others in the public.

Background
The bystander effect, a phenomenon that a person is more likely to help another person in a distress situation or a situation in need of help, in the public among a great number of people present.

Based on studies conducted by American psychologist, there are two major factors that is the cause to the bystander effect.
First is the number of people presence in the area of distress which makes a diffusion of responsibility. Since the responsibility to take action is thought to be shared among others, they do not feel obligated to lend a hand.

The second reason is the need to behave in correct and socially acceptable ways. This shows when other observers just do not react, they feel there is not a need to intervene or not appropriate in some cases.

Problem Identification
- Will the user react to a distress situation when being alone or in a group?
- How will this project help the society?
- What can the user learn when being alone and in a group to handle the bystander effect?
- How will the study of the bystander effect help the audience?

Aim and Objectives
- To explore the relationship between science and the effects of urbanism.
- To explore the culture of urbanism.
- To encourage audience to lend a hand.
- To investigate the issues concerning to the bystander effect.
- To create awareness among the society.

Motivation
My motivation comes from an article regarding a young women, Kitty Genovese, that was stab to death outside the door leading to her apartment in 1964. What makes me sad was that she cried for help after getting stab, but no one wanted to intervene and help her. She was left to died outside the streets due to the bystander effect.
Source: http://listverse.com/2009/11/02/10-notorious-cases-of-the-bystander-effect/

Urbanism: Landslide


Research Topic
Landslide, a massive movement of soil and rock debris that move downhill due to the action of gravity.

Background
A natural hazard of the world, when landslide occur, it can be one of the most devastating, costly and damaging phenomenon to a country. This normally has an influence due to human activities even though it may not be directly or indirectly to the cause. One for the main factors that help propel landslide is major developments in a certain area where expansion of development expand to unstable hill slope for roads and building sites. When this occur, it becomes a secret recipe for the grounds to become loosen and soft with the aid of raining.


Landslides occur when the stability of a slope changes from a stable to an unstable condition. A change in the stability of a slope can be caused by a number of factors, acting together or alone. Natural causes of landslides include:

1. Groundwater (porewater) pressure acting to destabilize the slope.
2. Loss or absence of vertical vegetative structure, soil nutrients, and soil structure (e.g. after a wildfire).
3. Erosion of the toe of a slope by rivers or ocean waves.
4. Weakening of a slope through saturation by snowmelt, glaciers melting, or heavy rains.
5. Earthquakes adding loads to barely stable slope.
6. Earthquake-caused liquefaction destabilizing slopes.
7. Volcanic eruptions.

Landslides are aggravated by human activities, Human causes include:

1. Deforestation, cultivation and construction, which destabilize the already fragile slopes.
2. Vibrations from machinery or traffic.
3. Blasting.
4. Earthwork which alters the shape of a slope, or which imposes new loads on an existing slope.
5. In shallow soils, the removal of deep-rooted vegetation that binds colluvium to bedrock.
6. Construction, agricultural or forestry activities (logging) which change the amount of water which infiltrates the soil.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landslide

Problem Identification
Coming up with an installation that can educate the audience may have certain question to keep in mind.
- How to attract the audience.
- What can the user learn from the installation.
- How does this effect them.
- Is the installation exciting to learn.
- Is the installation effective in spreading awareness.

Aim and Objectives
This project has a sole purpose to educate and spread awareness of how and what causes landslide to happen. This challenges me to come up with an idea on how to make it appealing to educate the audience.

Motivation
The Highland Towers Disaster is considered one of the most famous landslide incident in Malaysia. Occurred on 11 December 1993 in Taman Hillview, Ulu Klang. What was an apartment building back then turn out to be a tragedy when one of its block collapse with out a warning due to landslide. This devestating tragedy claim 48 lives which included high profile individuals and foreigners.

The primary cause of the tragic incident had been 10 days of unrelenting tropical rainfall that caused an enormous mudslide that toppled Block 1. The city's fire and rescue services faced an unprecedented situation as they struggled to find survivors in the massive heap of twisted wreckage, while relatives and friends waited desperately for news of the missing. In the aftermath of the tragedy, came an avalanche of urgent questions. Why had Highland Towers collapsed, and who should be called to account? In the first documentary account of this emotionally charged real life story, we hear the raw heart-rending stories of the men and women who lived through the tragedy and those that lost loved ones. We are taken back to the crucial hours and days – with never-before-seen footage, caught on tape by the BOMBA rescuers themselves – as emergency crews and ordinary people worked around the clock in the hope of finding survivors buried under the layers of rubble.
Source: http://www.historyasia.com/synopsis.aspx?libId=1401&sId=826&sTime=1320

Urbanism: Crime


Research Topic
One of the drawbacks that are effected in an urban community is crime. This may be due to the rate of inflation, which increases the cost of living, thus having a poverty population in the society.

Background
Why Do People Commit Crime?

The main reason people commit crime is because of poverty.

Depending on how poor someone is depends on what and how likely they are going to steal. For example an extremely poor person is more likely to steal some bread than someone who is not as poor. Even people who have enough to live off steal just out of greed, for example a guy wants a bigger TV but doesn’t have enough money might steal some money or the TV itself.

Another example of someone stealing out of poverty is if a teenage girl didn’t have enough money to buy some jewellery she might go in the shop in steal some. The same could be said for a teenage guy who didn’t have enough money to buy a computer game.

A second reason why people commit crime is because of peer pressure.

This depends on the sort of friends the person has. For example a couple of kids have nothing to do so they go out and do some vandalism and if your in that group of people then you are more likely to do what they do so you are part of the group.

Another main reason why people commit crime is because of education.

The amount of education you have (if any) is the main factor that decides if you have a well paid job or poor paying job and if you are in a dead end job that barely brings money then you might steal from people or even mug people so you have some money to spend.

A final reason why people might commit crime is because of a thrill.

Someone for example might get a "buzz" or a great feeling of stealing someone and getting away with it, sometimes they don't even care about what they steal it is just stealing it that matters. This can should turn into an addiction where the person is addicted to stealing.
Source: http://family.wikinut.com/Why-Do-People-Commit-Crime/1rkbwcpx/


Problem Identification
- How to conceptualize the awareness behind crime into an installation that evokes emotions.
- What will the audience learn from the installation about crime.
- Educating the audience through art installation on crimes.

Aim and Objectives
This project is to create an awareness to the society about the steps that can help to prevent crimes among urban communities.

Motivation
My motivations come from the video and article below.

1. Population density and degree of urbanization.
2. Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth concentration.
3. Stability of population with respect to residents' mobility, commuting patterns and transient factors.
4. Modes of transportation and highway systems.
5. Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level and job availability.
6. Cultural factors and educational, recreational and religious characteristics.
7. Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness.
8. Climate.
9. Effective strength of law enforcement agencies.
10. Administrative and investigative emphases of law enforcement.

Variables affecting crime listed above provide no insight into the many variables that mold the crime across the globe. This ranking leads to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that could create misleading perception. Many variables, while having significant impact on crime, are not readily measurable or applicable on all locations. In order to make valid assessments of crime, one needs to take into considerations geographic and demographic factors specific to each jurisdiction. The transience of the population, its racial and ethnic makeup, its composition by age and gender, educational levels, and prevalent family structures are all key factors in assessing and comprehending the crime issue.
Source: http://www.talidari.net/10-causes-of-crime.html

Urbanism: The Contaminated Skies


Research Topic
The phenomenon of urbanisation may have a lot of benefits to a society, but it may also have a few drawbacks that could be harmful and and life threatening.

Background
As you know, the atmosphere has a natural way of supporting life on planet Earth. With a complicated natural gaseous system, all living organisms including human beings need oxygen to survive.
One of the effects of urbanisation is, air pollution from vehicles. The increasing number of vehicles today due to modernisation has made Earth's ecosystem a threat and not to forget a major threat to the human health.

Air pollutant is the substance that is found in the air known to cause harm to the environment and humans. It can be classified as a primary process that is directly given out from the exhaust of vehicles to the chimney of factories. Another classification is the secondary pollutants that is indirectly emitted out to the environment, but they are rather formed due to the reaction or interaction of the primary pollutants.

Examples of primary pollutants are sulfur oxide that are produced from volcanoes and various industrial processes Nitrogen oxide, which are emitted from high temperature combustion. This can normally be identified as a reddish brown toxic gas that has a very sharp and biting odor. Carbon monoxide, an odorless, colourless and very poisonous gas, usually from vehicular exhaust.

Examples of secondary pollutants are particulate matter formed from gaseous primary pollutants and compounds in photochemical smog. Smog is a kind of air pollution, a portmanteau of smoke and fog.

Problem Identification
The problem is how to create an awareness about air pollution. Questions to be tackled are
- How to trigger awareness among society.
- How to make an impact through art.
- How to create a media art installation that would attract attention.
- What are the factors that can make society realize the dangers of air pollution.

Aim and Objectives
This project is to create an awareness to the society about the dangers of air pollution through the use of art installation. The objectives is to motivate and to educate society for a better and healthier living in an urban environment.

Motivation
My motivations comes from the article and videos below.
Pollution free Diwali in Tamil Nadu village

Kittampalayam, Oct 26 (ANI): villagers here celebrated the festival of Diwali on Tuesday without bursting firecrackers to make their area pollution free and spread awareness about environment.

President of the village council, Jyothimani Ramaswamy, said that earlier they followed the customary practice of bursting crackers but since the time when birds began flocking their area, they stopped this practice as the crackers frighten the birds and animals.

“Earlier we used to burn crackers but after the birds started to inhabit this area, we discontinued with the tradition of bursting crackers. We now celebrate Diwali by exchanging sweets,” said Ramaswamy.

Locals walked on the village streets, beating drums and urging villagers to not burst firecrackers to protect the birds and environment.

“Birds inhabit our village in large numbers and we feel very happy about it. We want these birds to stay in the village. So, we celebrate Diwali in a quiet and peaceful manner and do not burst crackers,” said Kuppamma, a local.(ANI)
Source: http://truthdive.com/2011/10/26/Pollution-free-Diwali-in-Tamil-Nadu-village.html

Ideation and Concept
As for the concept design, it will be an art installation that can create awareness among the audience through visual and sound. I final execution has yet to be decided.

Review, Analysis and Precedence Studies

Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the main pollutant that is warming Earth. Though living things emit carbon dioxide when they breathe, carbon dioxide is widely considered to be a pollutant when associated with cars, planes, power plants, and other human activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline and natural gas. In the past 150 years, such activities have pumped enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to raise its levels higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years.

Other greenhouse gases include methane—which comes from such sources as swamps and gas emitted by livestock—and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants until they were banned because of their deteriorating effect on Earth's ozone layer.
Source: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview/


Air pollution is responsible for major health effects.  Every year, the health of countless people is ruined or endangered by air pollution.

Many different chemicals in the air affect the human body in negative ways.  Just how sick people will get depends on what chemicals they are exposed to, in what concentrations, and for how long.

Studies have estimated that the number of people killed annually in the US alone could be over 50,000.

Older people are highly vulnerable to diseases induced by air pollution.  Those with heart or lung disorders are under additional risk.  Children and infants are also at serious risk.
Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environmental_Problems/air_pollution.html