Encounter

Encounter: Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou is a self-guided walking tour of six public installations that introduce the Houston community to the thriving environments around them. Many of the sites on the tour have been previously hidden or unknown to the public. Focusing on the area's intertwined relationship of industry and nature, the tour aims to bring visibility to the local landscapes that exist within the vast concrete metropolis, by accentuating their cultural/historical significance and beauty.

Visit the Buffalo Bayou Partnership event post here. Check out the Houston Public Media Arts Insider segment about the project here.

Encounter received a Global Design Honor Award at SEGD 2019.

Scope

Environmental
Exhibition

Role

Design
Exhibition + signage fabrication

In Collaboration With

Claire Elestwani
Rebecca Plunkett
Alex Thrift

PROJECT CONTEXT

The UH Graphic Design class of 2018 worked together with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership for a full academic year, in order to shed light on a few of Houston's hidden green spaces. Research, planning, and material sourcing for our guided walking tour occured during the Fall 2017 semester, with fabrication and installation in Spring 2018. Pictured is an early concept render for my team's site.

Since original planning, our site shifted, and this concept was modified to thread through a trail in Tony Marron Park rather than occupy a singular space. The essence of our idea successfully remained intact for the guided tour, with added elements emphasizing the public park's social function and organic vs. industrialized allure.

The original research/proposal may be viewed here.

THE [NEW] SITE

N. Drennan Street, within Tony Marron Park, is in the East End of downtown Houston. The neighborhood exists within a contrasting blend of industry and nature - the peak embodiment of this relationship is found between a segment of the park's trail and the metal scrapyard that lies just across.

N. Drennan Street, at the Buffalo Bayou Partnership field office, is in the East End of downtown Houston. This area highlights the juxtaposition of both industry and nature within this commmunity space. The epitome of this relationship can be found between a Tony Marron Park trail and the metal scrapyard that lies just across the bayou.

N. Drennan Street, in the East End of downtown Houston, highlights the juxtaposition of both industry and nature within this commmunity space. The epitome of this relationship can be found between a Tony Marron Park trail and the metal scrapyard that lies just across the bayou.

Drone footage courtesy of Alwyn Brownewell.

Shipping pallets are repurposed into wayfinding signage. On-site poetry highlights the charm of the surrounding space and its function. Stake flags, usually used on construction sites, are now trail markers that guide visitors throughout the experience.

Modular "toys" mimic the industrial shapes of the machinery at the adjacent metal scrapyard, while visitors are at play on the community trail. Each piece can be combined with one another in a myriad of ways.

Toys activate the space & foster public engagement.