Intended route. Actual route is another story.
Meet Larimer; one of the city's most depraved boroughs long plagued by residual issues created by urban renewal practices of the 1960's. Today our studio got an opportunity to explore some of its condition during a derive around the site.
derive: (pronounced deh-reeve, silly) is a French word. c.1385, from O.Fr. deriver, from L. derivare "to lead or draw off from its source." In this context it means to wander but you can easily see how its etymological sense came to mean "to evolve from," but that's besides the point.
Anyways, we were essentially wandering around one of the worst areas of Pittsburgh with our messenger bags packed full of nalgenes and sketchbooks, button up shirts and of course, digital cameras and maps in tow. Needless to say we blended right in. We were supposed to be looking for some specific examples of different categories including vacant lots in the area, things that have eroded, things you could buy...does that nick count? Anyways, my group got pretty lost. We ended up in Highland Park, and if you're from the area you know that this it enjoys a pretty wealthy sub-urban status. We crossed 1 bridge and all the sudden windows weren't broken, front doors had set backs and the roads were paved. The two areas are separated by about 50 feet, you can see one side from the other, but the 50 feet is a pretty deep valley that is populated by dense tree growth. The valley was fenced on both sides with signs about how stiff the penalty was for trespassing. My favorite part about getting lost in this area was this fence. It was vandalized both from the Highland Park side as well as the Larimer side. It made me wonder, do the kids ever meet up in the middle at the bottom of the valley? It's the same driver; the reason why both sides would be broken into, the privacy of the forest just screams adolescent delinquency. I imagine Jets versus Sharks in some modern day West Side story showdown. I love a good edge condition.
derive: (pronounced deh-reeve, silly) is a French word. c.1385, from O.Fr. deriver, from L. derivare "to lead or draw off from its source." In this context it means to wander but you can easily see how its etymological sense came to mean "to evolve from," but that's besides the point.
Anyways, we were essentially wandering around one of the worst areas of Pittsburgh with our messenger bags packed full of nalgenes and sketchbooks, button up shirts and of course, digital cameras and maps in tow. Needless to say we blended right in. We were supposed to be looking for some specific examples of different categories including vacant lots in the area, things that have eroded, things you could buy...does that nick count? Anyways, my group got pretty lost. We ended up in Highland Park, and if you're from the area you know that this it enjoys a pretty wealthy sub-urban status. We crossed 1 bridge and all the sudden windows weren't broken, front doors had set backs and the roads were paved. The two areas are separated by about 50 feet, you can see one side from the other, but the 50 feet is a pretty deep valley that is populated by dense tree growth. The valley was fenced on both sides with signs about how stiff the penalty was for trespassing. My favorite part about getting lost in this area was this fence. It was vandalized both from the Highland Park side as well as the Larimer side. It made me wonder, do the kids ever meet up in the middle at the bottom of the valley? It's the same driver; the reason why both sides would be broken into, the privacy of the forest just screams adolescent delinquency. I imagine Jets versus Sharks in some modern day West Side story showdown. I love a good edge condition.