Project 1: Motivation (examples) From first project I explored my motivation and interested in the informal urban practices studio. What I think informal urban is some wasted and low- utilization rate public space such as square, a path between two buildings, corner, ect. Informal urban practices are reusing that space to improving people’s living. Like the 2010 Shanghai Expo’s manifesto “better city, better life”. Project 2: briefing: exploration In this project Oscar and I went to a unfamiliar suburb- Albert park to explore the ‘observation’ and ‘adjustment’. Actually, it is a small suburb just outside the city where golf, leisurely cycling, and the strolls around the park, Oscar and I noticed was the lack of people anywhere, we realised that our first impressions weren’t much different from what we had expected. Despite this, the area was interesting just the same and still had a lot to offer. Project 3: intervention action In this project Elliot, Tim, Oscar and I (as two pairs) made a intervention action in public space. Our intervention action is “Game”-we set up some chalk Hop Scotch on the ground at different place. We found a lot of people walked right by even after noticing the hop scotch, some dodged the chalk and others like children and young girls will spring in their step spring in their step. People working in city with a fast pace, an easy public game (like hop scotch and twister) can remission their stress, and bring a smile. Project 4: Occupation This project we gained the knowledge about Collingwood and its informal urban practices through a knowledge exchange system where giving insight into practices in the suburb is rewarded by knowledge about Melbourne. We interviewed a woman who was heavily involved in the aboriginal communities in Collingwood and stopping public drinking in the Smith Street area. Project 5: market trading We continue developing our “interest” and understanding more about informal urban practices by set up a marker trading in public space. I made 20 different postcards to reflect my interest of this studio and just set up a black cloth as my market stall, that’s easy to set up and warp up. I found people like market trading, what I think is people feel friendlier and more relaxed than they are shopping in department store. Some passages walk away and come back again. Furthermore, we exchange postcards and ideas with each others. To sum up, market trading is quite funny and people join that as well, but it is affected by lots weather factor. So it’s better to prepare a rain protection and easy-set up equipment. REFLECTIONS ON INFORMAL PRACTICES URBAN GRAP103 4 Design Studio 4 Ind Des 6 WEEKS The two distinctly different time conditions we took was Saturday afternoon and Monday night The most difference thing was on the weekend people seemed to be coming from outside areas to visit Collingwood but on the Monday the people we encountered were usually residents of the area. Jiazhen Chen (KEN) S3191677