Intersecting City – Overhead bridge
Unnoticed intersections
“We only see what we look at. To look is an act of choice.” (Berger, J., 1977, p.8).
We are living in a mega-network composed of thousands of layers, among which lies the intersections of the lives of many. People come and go, converging at a point so close to each other, yet never stopping to notice this before they disperse. We don’t see these encounters because we choose not to look at them. But what if we do? How would this redefine the circulation between our lives and the others? How connected are we?
Everyday, countless journeys intersect in the city. These intersections can be examined through overhead bridges, where pedestrian or vehicles are lifted in the air, circulating in a network above the ground. Very often in movies, overhead bridges represent connection, transitions and leveling, connecting people and buildings on the raised network, transitioning between upper and lower levels, and dividing people into different leveling systems. These interpretations, however, only look at the bridge itself, but not on the wider scope of the whole city. The film challenges conventional interpretations by bringing new observations towards the circulation of people and their relationships between architecture, the city and its people.
Research and documentation
As mentioned, conventional representations of bridges in movies are usually associated with connections, transitions and leveling. These concepts were my starting points, which allowed further explorations on a less visible aspect of the space – intersection.
A deeper understanding on the intersecting pedestrian systems was developed after reading on walkability and street intersections (Blecic, I., Canu, D., Cecchini, A., Congiu, T., & Fancello, G., 2017). It appeared that urban intersections hinder pedestrian’s walkability despite improving their mobility. This proves that my research questions are significant, as to some point, the intersections we encounter do affect our daily routines although we may not pay much attention to them. Just as written in Seeing the City (Berger, J., 1977, p.9), “Soon after we can see, we are aware that we can also be seen.”, I decided to observe from viewpoints other than ordinary first-person perspectives, see how I see others, and how I can be seen.
Focusing on the bustling Central district, I witnessed thousands of convergences and divergences between people and vehicles, penetrating the spaces within, out of and beneath overhead bridges. For minutes people were companions at the same pace on the same elevated walkway, yet their encounter was almost only based on the linear space created by the bridge, as they eventually part ways as strangers. The spatial experiences created by bridges are not merely linear, but are multidimensional with spaces beneath it, forms relating with the surrounding environment, and codes of the city. Gazing downwards from the bridge, nodes are observed from the bird’s eye view, where pedestrians intersect on the ground level without noticing. Metaphorically, intersections of journeys also take place between levels, where those traveling above overlap with those traveling beneath the bridge, in turn intersecting the paths vehicles in flyovers or driveways. Some journeys are parallel to each other while some are perpendicular, in some way very similar yet are distinct from each other. Juxtapositions of journeys often appear while they show features of contrasting pace, directions, patterns and movements. As foots and tires roll on trails, they overlay on the invisible stamps printed by predecessors – people, vehicles, trams, dirt, concrete, dogs and rats over centuries. These are intersections unseen and unnoticed, yet exist as the city operates.
Taking a step backwards and looking at the bridges from a broader picture, amid the multidimensional intersections across time and space, bridges seemingly connect people by offering a passage of transition. However, if activities contrasts s between the levelled intersections, then in a sense, bridges act as dividers of journeys, as an opaque fabric blocking us from seeing those beneath and above us. Do bridges connect, or do they make isolations more visible?
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The film itself is a documentation of the countless intersections found in the city, with mostly montages of repetition, showing fragmented moments around the bridges. The split screens highlight the intersections of journeys at the same site, illustrating contrasts in motions that paradoxically show similar spatial sequences. The transitions from closeups to wide shots helps convey the message that a broader horizon is needed when we “see” the city.
While bridges, as urban fabrics block levelling connections, we still “see” intersections without having to literally “look” at them. Perhaps then, we can see without looking, hence choose to “see” connections, not isolations.
(749 words)
Bibliography
Berger, J., Blomberg, S., Fox, C., Dibb, M., & Hollis, R. (1977). Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books.
Blecic, I., Canu, D., Cecchini, A., Congiu, T., & Fancello, G. (2017). Walkability and Street Intersections in Rural-Urban Fringes: A Decision Aiding Evaluation Procedure. Sustainability.
Calvino, I. (1978). Invisible cities. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Cao, Jun & Zhu, Junkai & Zhang, Qingyao & Wang, Ke & Yang, Junyan & Wang, Qiao. (2020). Modeling urban intersection form: Measurements, patterns, and distributions. Frontiers of Architectural Research. 10. 10. 1016/j.foar.2020.11.003.
Cityscape Music – 3 Hours of Ambient Study Music with City Background Video. (2020, January 1). Quiet Quest – Study Music. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S17dSa1Vups.
Infraction – No Copyright Music. (2021, March 8). Epic Motivational Hip-Hop by Infraction [No Copyright Music] / Colors. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4ZOu1iWGo4&list=PL7pkSK1xbGD57HJ-SjRi_0W6irguXY3v9&index=72.
To Tiffany
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I like how you present the idea of intersection in the city. You used some creative camera angles like top shot, low angles to present the idea which we won’t usually look at when we walk in the street. The transition in the middle when you zoom out make the pace faster. And brought the message really well: There are much more outside the intersection. I also like how you pictured the different time and space in one.
Clear research question with strong field observations. I appreciate how you put the camera on different levels and filmed it from various angles to represent the three-dimensionality of the city. I wonder how you would define intersection? In your film, I see lots of people crossing into each other but there is seldom a stop-by or a chat. I am curious to know the answer to the question you raised, whether these overhead bridges stimulate more intersections or highlight the isolation.