BRIEFING DOCUMENT CHRIS WILSON

THE UNSEEN

CONTENTS

/ BRI

EF

/ SITE

ANAL

YSIS

/ INT

ANGI

BLE /

INVI

SIBL

E

/ ZON

ING

ANAL

YSIS

/ 3-D

VISU

ALIS

ATIO

N

/ ROS

E STR

EET

[02] [04] [16] [18] [20] [26] / STR

EET S

PACE

[28] / GUT

HRIE

STRE

ET

[30]

/ ROB

ERTS

ON C

LOSE

[32]

/ COC

KBUR

N ST

REET

[34] / BLU

RRED

SPAC

E

[38] / EAR

LY VI

SUAL

ISAT

IONS

[40] / NEX

T STE

PS

[44]

THE UNSEEN

This project will focus Primarily on how our city centres are monitors though government owned CCTV systems in place in our public spaces and streets. Showing how dense they are and if there is any free or hidden space within the network of CCTV.

[ 1 ]

THE UNSEEN

This project will focus Primarily on how our city centres are monitors though government owned CCTV systems in place in our public spaces and streets. Showing how dense they are and if there is any free or hidden space within the network of CCTV.

Our public spaces are becoming dominant with the presence of authoritative surveillance. The are constantly being monitored and watched in our cities due to our curiosity of what others are up to and also because of the fear of danger and crime. In this project, I will investigate and research urban monitoring systems run by the council and police which will explore the possibility of unseen space and a design outcome that will bring back privacy back to our public urban spaces. Using Edinburgh City Centre as my primary location for this project to create a conceptual design solution.

[ 2 ]

BRIEF

[ 3 ]

In Edinburgh, there are 237 CCTV cameras in total that are located around the city centre and suburbs. According to the Edinburgh City Council, its costs around £25,000 per camera to be installed and maintained. Each camera has a zoom range of 200metres and the ability to rotate in a 360 degree motion when required. Their main monitoring centre is located on the Royal Mile in the City Chambers Building meaning they are in a very central point of Edinburgh with cameras sprawling the whole circumference of the City.

[ 4 ]

SITE ANALYSIS

CCTV Camera’s that exist, but did not pass or see.

CCTV Camera’s that exist and passed that I did not know existed.

CCTV Camera’s that I passed and knew about.

[ 5 ]

CCTV Camera’s that exist, but did not pass or see.

CCTV Camera’s that exist and passed that I did not know existed.

CCTV Camera’s that I passed and knew about.

[ 6 ]

[ 7 ]

[ 8 ]

[ 9 ]

[ 10 ]

[ 11 ]

Conceptual Mapping [ 12 ]

[ 13 ]

Surveillance Atlis [ 14 ]

[ 15 ]

By having a common knowledge of the unseen space that exists should be a necessity in our urban environments. Especially in public through ways. Through exploring the urban fabric by acknowledging how much CCTV has stripped us of our own privacy when leaving our homes is highlighted when you see the minimum space that you can reside in and not be seen. Therefore it is crucial to celebrate these sacred spaces They become blurred space from the authoritative CCTV cameras and pauses within the busy city space.

[ 16 ]

INTANGIBLE / INVISIBLE

[ 17 ]

A key moment that needs to be recognised is the intangible and invisible barrier which defines seen and unseen space within the Edinburgh city context. this barrier separates the CCTV surveillance and the hidden entities that are the blurred unseen space. This is visualised by following the angles and height of buildings at these points of entry and defining them to explore the volume of these spaces.

ZONING ANALYSIS[ 18 ]

THE UNSEEN

Section 1: Rose Street Section 2: Leith Street Section 3: Cockburn Street

Section 4: Guthrie Street Section 5: Royal Mile Section 6: Castle Terrace

There are six sections of the city centre that will contain the main event moments. Each section will contain a different event experience with a viewing section creating the observers becoming the surveillance within the unseen spaces.

[ 19 ]

THE UNSEEN

Section 1: Rose Street Section 2: Leith Street Section 3: Cockburn Street

Section 4: Guthrie Street Section 5: Royal Mile Section 6: Castle Terrace

There are six sections of the city centre that will contain the main event moments. Each section will contain a different event experience with a viewing section creating the observers becoming the surveillance within the unseen spaces.

To further analyse the unseen space, a 3-D model is necessary to visualise both the urban context and also the volume of space that can be seen through these surveillance systems as well as the unseen space and their respective entrance spaces. By splitting the city into section shows areas of Edinburgh which contain more unseen spaces than others. They explore the potential of these spaces on a grander scale for a design outcome to be explored and installed within these spaces.

3-D VISUALISATION[ 20 ]

[ 21 ]

[ 22 ]

[ 23 ]

[ 24 ]

THE UNSEEN

Leith StreetCastle Terrace

Rose Street

Cockburn Street

Guthrie Street

Robertson Close

Royal Mile

There are six sections of the city centre that will contain the main event moments. Each section will contain a different event experience with a viewing section forcing the observers to become the surveillance within the unseen spaces.

[ 25 ]

These blue sections identify the point of entry and exit into these spaces that are unseen from the monitoring eye. From this map of the explored zones of Edinburgh, you can see the points that are of most interest to explore further. In particular four streets within these zones are areas for further exploration. These are Rose Street, Robertson Close, Guthrie Street and Cockburn Street. All of which have been selected to represent various urban relationships and the potential to become the flagship street for an installation to take place.

STREET SPACE[ 26 ]

THE UNSEEN

Rose Street in particular is a surprising location for having no Council owned CCTV systems. Making this one of the most central locations where you can walk freely without being seen or monitored by CCTV.

[ 27 ]

Rose Street was an interesting street to explore primarily because of it being expected to have CCTV owned by the council on it due to its high density pub ratio. However apart from the breaks of the adjacent streets, there is no surveillance easily accessible to the council. It is however a street heavily surrounded by streets which have many cameras located at many different points along it. This street however is narrow, contained and fragmented meaning creating a large scale design proposal would need careful thinking to relate all the spaces under the name Rose Street together.

ROSE STREET [ 28 ]

THE UNSEEN

Guthrie Street is located in the old town and is a vital connection between Chambers Street and the Cowgate. Making this a space that is used regularly on a daily basis as a main throughway from getting from A-B

[ 29 ]

Guthrie Street is a vital connection route through the Cowgate and Chambers Street. Used by both foot and road traffic it is a very well used space away from the bustle of New Town. The street is primarily residential with not much physical activity apart from movement on the roads and pavements. Therefore an intervention or design proposal would need to consider the residential context that this street has and the fact it is a heavily used connection and through way.

GUTHRIE STREET[ 30 ]

THE UNSEEN

Robertson Close is a contrast from Rose Street being a smaller street yet being in the old town and not very well pronounced in the urban environment makes this a very well hidden space in Edinburgh.

[ 31 ]

Robertson Close - Just like Guthrie Street is a connection point connecting the Cowgate to the higher side of Chambers Street and Old Town. However it has totally different properties. It only has foot access from the top side of the street with a cobbled street all the way to the bottom. It is also located in the heart of student territory with pubs and halls of residence surrounding this street. It is also a very compact street with private square located at the centre of the Street.

ROBERTSON CLOSE[ 32 ]

THE UNSEEN

Cockburn Street is going to be the main focus of the project outcome. This street sits in the city centre. It also is right next to the Edinburgh City Chambers where they monitor all CCTV footage live making this the perfect site for further investigation.

[ 33 ]

COCKBURN STREET[ 34 ]

Cockburn Street has become the most interesting Street out of them all for many reasons. Firstly, it is located at the heart of Edinburgh and is a very central street and connection to various parts of Edinburgh. It also is on many different levels being on a downward slope from the top of the Royal Mile to the bottom of Waverley Bridge. The most interesting part about this street is that the City Chambers Building that plays host to the CCTV monitoring room backs onto Cockburn Street meaning this street that is unseen can play host to an ironic and unique unseen intervention .

[ 35 ]

[ 36 ]

[ 37 ]

BLURRED SPACE[ 38 ]

Because these streets are in a unique classification of being unseen space, the feeling of being in these street should be that of feeling blurred out or invisible. The following visuals highlight the notion of being blurred and unseen even within a physical street space environment such as Cockburn Street.

[ 39 ]

EARLY VISUALISATIONS[ 40 ]

To visualise what happens within these spaces, elements such as mirrors, prisms and static should be explored to create a final outcome. These elements all contain properties of hiding and blurring reality. These examples of possible installations highlight how a street space can be turned into an event space highlighting the power of the unseen public space.

[ 41 ]

EARLY VISUALISATIONS[ 42 ]

These event installations could become part of the festival that happens in Edinburgh every year, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This would be part of a big urban picture with events happening all around this installation. However this installation concept could stand on its own and become an event in its own right.

[ 43 ]

[ 44 ]

NEXT STEPS

The next steps of this project will be realising the potential and designing the urban installation that will be happening within Cockburn Street. Through experimenting with elements such as prism’s and reflection as well as opacity to create a well resolved design solution. I will also be exploring the relationship between Cockburn Street and The City Chambers Building to find out how this connection of surveillance can be communicated into a design form.

CHRIS WILSON

BDES [ HONS ] INTERIOR & SPATIAL DESIGN EDINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY

www. chrisglenwilson.com