BCL Report – Sept 29, 2008

We spent a couple hours on Monday exploring some specific sites around the city to start planning some upcoming projects. Getting out and documenting and talking about these places really helped to solidify how important it is for some creative intervention/interaction with the city and how excited we are to do it.

University Avenue, Windsor, Ontario - clear sight of that terrible Ceasar's sign

The clear view from University Avenue, near Bridge, of the awful Ceasar’s sign. We find it unacceptable that this glowing red sign can be seen clearly from the University campus, not to mention that the building on which it sits (the new Ceasar’s expansion) dominates our skyline. We want to disappear that sign.

University Avenue, Windsor, Ontario - clear sight of that terrible Ceasar's sign

We’re trying to imagine how best to block the view of the sign, at least in a very limited and specific location. Potentially mounting a very small blinder of sorts to a telephone pole could block the view of the sign at street level. We’re planning to target bus stops, as this would offer the greatest chance of someone being able to engage the blinder.

Another view of the Ceasar's sign on University Avenue, Broken City Lab is trying to imagine a way to block the view of it from street level

Another location, further east down University Avenue, in front of one of the many closed-down Bingo parlours. Again, another bus stop at which we can attempt to block the sign.

Skateboard ramp at University Avenue park, on top of which there is yet another clear view of the Ceasar's sign

Skateboard ramp (is this considered a quarter-pipe?) at the park on University, across from Rankin.

The clear view of the Ceasar's sign from atop the skateboard ramp

This is the view from atop of the skateboard ramp—another good place to visually remove the Ceasar’s sign from Windsor’s skyline.

Broken City Lab imagining what to do with the backside of Ceasar's, blocking the former view of the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario

The development that now blocks the view of the Detroit River near McDougall and University. We see a really big white wall onto which we could project something, maybe it should be a shot of the river.

Giant Chess pieces at Charles Clark Square in Windsor, Ontario

Charles Clark Square—in the winter there’s an ice-rink … We tried to imagine a way to intervene with these chess pieces or to make the space more useful to general activity year-round.

Tops of the Umbrellas at Charles Clark Square

These metal umbrellas offer the potential to send messages via Google Earth.

good spot for LEDs

These holes in the umbrellas could be ideal for LEDs, again to broadcast message skyward…

Giant mirrored ball at Charles Clark Square in Windsor, Ontario

The tops of the umbrellas could also be observed from this giant mirror ball.

City Hall, Windsor, Ontario - good site for projection

City Hall—giant wall and huge walkway just asking for a game or projection to happen (or both?)  -citywide Tetris championships??

Welcome to Windsor sign on Dougall, just off the 401

Welcome to Windsor sign on Dougall near the 401.

Measuring the Welcome to Windsor Sign just off the 401 at Dougall

Taking measurements of the sign.

Measuring the Welcome to Windsor Sign just off the 401 at Dougall

We have a couple ideas in mind for this…

Measuring the Welcome to Windsor Sign just off the 401 at Dougall

There are a some things that might be useful to be noted on this sign.

Taking our measure, Broken City Lab documents the Welcome to Windsor sign just off the 401

Very successful field trip, hoping to do another one soon as we continue to look for project sites around the city. It was great to get out there and participate in interacting with the city—looking at it, measuring it, rethinking it.

5 Replies to “BCL Report – Sept 29, 2008”

  1. Something else I’d like to see obscured/removed/messed-with? those atrocious “Transportation kindly provided by Casino Windsor” placards that dominate the head-space on every third transit bus or so.

    If the casino is “kindly provid[ing]” bus service, what exactly am I paying $2.45 per ride for? At the very least, they could “kindly” replace the ticket/coin-retrieval units with slot machines. Spice up the commute a bit.

  2. Good call – I think that head-space is totally wasted on old, old advertising … let’s hold an exhibition on there!

    Oh, and re: slot machines, maybe we should set up a mobile casino on the Transway 1C… do you know how to deal black jack?

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