POCKET PARK CUENCA
The Pocket Park was an activity organized as part of the event LlactaCamp, organized by the University of Cuenca. We were challenged to create recreation spaces in the city center for one morning collectively to show that some spaces can be thought, perceived and lived differently. For this project we worked collectively with other groups such as Creative Roots.
METHODOLOGY
SCREENING
The first step that we followed as Huasipichanga, was to meet the entire team that would work on the project. It crucial for us to set objectives together, interchange ideas and define our expectations. This allows a multi-sector team to build trust, be confident about the process and actively collaborate.
Immediately we went to see the space in which the project was going to be carried out, a parking lot located in the back of the Cathedral of Cuenca, relatively small with an approximate capacity for fifteen cars, closed to the public with a fence, underused and on an strategic location in the commercial area.
PICTURING
The proposal was to create a Pocket Park, with green spaces designated to mini-golf and futbol-tennis. Activities for the children and adults who can relax while the kids play or can decide to play themselves! We also wanted to bring art to the space, the views of the Cathedral are unique, and people can easily get inspired. Finally, we thought there should be music, a space for entertainment that calls people to take a break from their daily activities and join the fun.
ZOOMING IN
The pocket park was meant to be a pop-up activity and surprise people that live, work and pass by the space. Hence, the validation was done by the team, revisiting the idea, the resources needed and the feasibility of what was proposed.
Thinking about the objective again, following our guidelines and being realistic with the situation because we did not have resources, a key point of this project was recycling and self-management.
CAPTURING
On the morning designated for this work, we had an hour to build the pocket park. We had to act fast on the different activities we have previewed for the space. Art was to be boosted, with paperlographs, finger paints and two easels. As sports activities we created a mini-golf course made out of rolls of toilet paper, the balls were avocado seeds and the golf club were brooms. There was also a futbol-tennis court, using materials that we found from a construction nearby, such as a plastic net and two concrete bases that normally would be thrown away. Additional activities were board games with a twist: A human tic-tac-toe, by giving vests to the participants and drawing the board on the floor. A stage and chairs were build with pallets and musicians and a magician joined us for the day. Finally, we added grass to an area, creating a cozy space that invites to sit and enjoy!
REVEALING
Since the moment we started installing the different activities, people was already curious of what would happen. When they found out about the Pocket Park, the excitement was immediate, as most of them had never paid attention to the spot and even worse thought about it as a public place for other activities. The people who arrived was very diverse, childre, adults and elderly joined, tourists and local people who curiously stopped to participate and also the merchants of the area were ntrigue of what was happening and attracting people to an area that normally, even being the core of the city was opaque and boring. Street vendors also gathered around immediately demonstrating that this kind of interventions have economic potential as well.
ZOOMING OUT