A City on Paper

What do you think this is?

It is layers of trace paper covered in thoughts that I documented while I walked from an outer edge of Prague to the center city.

My studio professor yesterday gave the class an optional assignment. He told us to take a tram to the end of its line, get out, and walk back into the city without using a map. We were to write down our observations but more specifically, document what we experience through our senses.

How could you NOT do this assignment?!

Have you ever walked from your house into your city's downtown?
How is that experience different than driving downtown?
What things in your city make you think "This is where the city truly begins"?
Is the architecture different?  Noises different?  Amount of people?  Amount of trees?  
 

I have never done this before. Charlotte is enormous so i would never walk from my house to downtown. In Raleigh, NC State is pretty close to downtown, but I have no desire to walk between the two. What made today's walk in Prague so exciting? Because it's something new. I was curious to see what I would discover. It's a different way of documentation than I'm used to doing.

I took my trace paper, favorite marker, and camera (even though my professor said a camera would distract us) and headed down tram line #17 to the southern part of Prague and walking back to Charles Bridge. I was accompanied by two of my classmates, Taylor and Cameron.

So the writing and drawing on the trace paper roll begins (here are bits and pieces)….

“Get off. Where are we? Road signs? More traffic than people. Cant see water. Greek restaurant. Loud car noises. Rattling tram tracks. Lots of trees. I feel lost, not in Prague. Pavement. Sidewalk mimics street with white dashes. Architecture on right is run down. Colorful fence on left. What is it blocking? I feel watched. Too much space, less people………..Smells bad while crossing street…..all of these trees, why can’t they have a nice fragrance?....why are all these people driving when there’s a tram?.....Do they have speed limit signs?.....I hear another siren, how come cars don’t pull over and stop completely?.....I feel good. Purple flower. I plucked it! Petals feel smooth and soft. Butterfly. A dog posed for me!……Why only two benches?......Drastic increase # of people….Bldgs are brown, neutral colors…..More cars parked than moving….Where are crosswalks?.....Tunnel within cliff. I panic. Where do I walk?....Framed views….Cobblestone is a gray and dark gray pattern….No cars parked along road…..Buildings have 7 stories…..I’m crunching leaves as I walk. I want to hear leaves rustle……we hear song “we will, we will, rock you!”….Why do they pour half of your drink into a glass?......I’ll sit on a “tree” bench……People are drawn to music. They stop on sidewalk to listen….this is definitely for tourists. Now im very protective of my belongings.”

This is my final length of trace paper with all of my notes and brief sketches. It's a little over a foot long in length. The walk took about 3 hours.  I’d love to frame this when I get back to Charlotte/Raleigh. 

I did bring my camera. Here are some of my favorite photos from today.

 

(how amazing are THOSE ^ clouds?!)

The transition from the "middle of nowhere" in southern Prague, to the central spot for tourists, Charles Bridge, was intriguing. One of my friends commented that I wasn't paying that much attention to the architecture.  He is right. I spent more time looking at animals, the water, trees, and sidewalks. I noticed that varied tree layout along sidewalks as I got closer to Prague's historic center. One part in particular had trees in the middle of the sidewalk. At first, I found it odd, but ended up enjoying it since it was different, it kept people on their side of the sidewalk. The animals got my attention since where do you see swans in a city?! The sidewalk is important in the sense that you can feel safe and distanced from the traffic at one point, but at another the traffic is right up against you with no tree or grass between the two. I was amazed that looking to the right was consumed with noise, traffic, and buildings, while the left side was calm with water, animals, and people strolling. This walking experience was nothing like Charlotte or Raleigh.

The views were fantastic. I held out my trace paper roll with the view. What a spectacular day. What a fun exercise. I’m definitely doing it again! I'll try walking in from the northern part of Prague to Old Town Square.