Urban Interactions

URBAN

INTERACTIONS

Public space allows the city’s inhabitants to exist
and interact; some navigate the space in solitude,
others congregate in informal ways. All seem to find
a place in the built environment, physically – perhaps
documenting this relationship can shed light on the
inner workings of our social landscape. Architecture
is as much an inanimate structure as it is a container
for human life; spaces undoubtedly determine our
behavior. This photo book explores the relationship
between self and place, person and place, and person
and person in Boston’s urban environment. Photography
is a sort of visual sociology; photographs allow us
to see the world differently, perhaps more clearly.

“ WE SHAPE OUR
BUILDINGS AND
AFTERWARDS
OUR BUILDINGS
SHAPE US.””
WINSTON
CHURCHILL

self
and
place

It is easy to lose consciousness of our own
physicality and its impact. We are shown only
distorted versions of ourselves in mirrors and
in photographs, yet we occupy the same amount of
space in the physical and social landscape as
our neighbors do. Shadows and reflections show us
parts of ourselves that are usually hidden. They
help ground us in the environment, shifting our
perspective and reaffirming our sense of self.

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:35 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
1:10 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

TUESDAY
OCTOBER 4
9:04 A.M.
DOWNTOWN

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
2:24 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
1:29 P.M.
CHINATOWN

TUESDAY
OCTOBER 11
9:22 A.M.
BEACON HILL
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 11
9:30 A.M.
BEACON HILL

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
2:09 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

the construction of
self-consciousness;
Our Reflection can
be as haunting as
it is affirming.

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
1:47 P.M.
DOWNTOWN
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 11
9:22 A.M.
BEACON HILL

FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 30
5:29 P.M.
BOSTON COMMON
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 27
12:59 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
6:26 P.M.
BEACON HILL

person
and
place

A person and their place are equally dependent
on each other; it is our humanity that activates
space. Order can be found in the chaos of urban
life through the lens of architecture. Photographs
freeze subjects in niches, windows, and spaces of
light and shadow; architecture seems to hold its
hand out and embrace its inhabitants.

MONDAY
SEPTEMBER 26
1:54 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
OCTOBER 11
10:05 A.M.
BACK BAY

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
1:36 P.M.
CHINATOWN
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
6:11 P.M.
BEACON HILL

SUNDAY
OCTOBER 16
1:09 P.M.
DOWNTOWN
MONDAY
SEPTEMBER 26
1:30 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

TUESDAY
OCTOBER 4
9:34 A.M.
CHINATOWN

the world IS A STAGE.
WE are its performers
and its AUDIENCE.

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:09 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
12:48 P.M.
BOSTON COMMON

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
2:03 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
2:05 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:10 P.M.
DOWNTOWN
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
12:38 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
1:17 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

The human dimension
COMPLETES the built
environment like a
piece to a puzzle.

TUESDAY
OCTOBER 4
9:42 A.M.
CHINATOWN

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
12:55 P.M.
DOWNTOWN
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
12:47 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:39 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
OCTOBER 22
1:18 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:11 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

person
and
person

Public spaces nudge people physically closer
together, setting the stage for chance encounters
and social interaction. In some scenes anonymous
silhouettes only overlap, in others social beings
actually interact. The relationship is equally as
significant whether direct or indirect, physical
or social. Architecture holds the power to bring
communities together, relieve loneliness, and
encourage healthy exchange.

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:24 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:24 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
6:26 P.M.
BEACON HILL

FRIDAY
OCTOBER 7
1:31 P.M.
CHINATOWN
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:35 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

TUESDAY
OCTOBER 4
9:03 A.M.
DOWNTOWN

We walk the same STAGE,
never matching strides.

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:23 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
OCTOBER 22
1:21 P.M.
CHINATOWN
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:25 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
OCTOBER 22
1:57 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

SATURDAY
OCTOBER 22
1:51 P.M.
DOWNTOWN
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 24
1:40 P.M.
DOWNTOWN

The world is in constant performance. Candid
interactions like these easily go unnoticed and
underappreciated in such an overstimulating world.
Photographs allow us to freeze moments in time;
we can become a more observant audience, able to
realize beauty in the chaos.