Passage of the Psyche
My starting point
London Road, Preston Road and Viaduct Road junction seems to me like the most busy, therefore noisy place in Brighton. Car engines, motorbikes, huge trucks and old buses, making loud noises as they pass, workers, pedestrians, open shops; making their own audio stigma. So much information for our brains to handle that we just block them out. We have learned to pay no attention at the noise, the background noise, the underscoring of our lives. we only realise the absence of it. When there is no industrial noise, suddenly we don’t have to hurry through life. We found a shelter. Therefore, I would like to make a shelter for the soul, an “inner peace”-shelter, in the middle of all that noise.
That shelter takes the form of a red nose; with three entrances/exits; two at the front of the nose and one at the back. Pedestrians can choose if they’d like to cross it or take a moment to them selves to enjoy the simplicity and to take a break, look at the sky through the skylights, avoid the noise for a moment.
Taking a closer look to create a “comfort-zone”
The symbolic meaning of the nose; spiritually the nose is a passage for the spirit and the soul to or from the heart and it can also symbolise the relation between contact and expression. (read more about symbolism)
The final artwork would be made of titanium, as it is a light-weighted metal with strength. it would then be covered with sound insulation material, heat insulation material to isolate as much as possible the sounds of the outside and keep an ideal temperature. Some parts of the ceiling would be skylights, in that way, whilst inside, people can focus only to the southing colour of the sky. It would also make an ideal shelter from the rain.
Estimated time needed for the implementation of the project
January – July : to building and prepare the artwork. August – November : to instal the artwork and make sure that it is absolutely safe to use.
Thinking of the implementation
Starting with the location; it is to be placed on the pavement creating entrances right after the pedestrian crossings of Beaconsfield Road and Viaduct Road.
Analysis of the form; the “nostrils” of the nose will take the form of the two front entrances/exits at the start of the crossing paths of each road. noticing the shape of the pavement at that part, the nose will have a distracted shape at the front, meaning that from a distance, it will look like a nose from the front but from up close it will be curved, following the shape of the pavement as to adjust to the crossings.
The third entrance/exit will be at the back side of the nose looking at the London Road pavement.
The installation measurements; having the shape of a nose, it will also have different heights at different parts. the highest point will be 4.5 meters and the lowest 2.5 meters. All entrances/exits will be of 2 meters, the parts following the “nostrils” will have a height of 2.5m lowest and 3m highest points. The point of the nose therefore will be the highest, of 4.5m and will deescalate to 2.5m right before the door at the back.
Disclaimers for the installation and usage of the “Passage of the Psyche”
Installation: during the installation we will ensure that there is enough space for the pavement and the pedestrian crossings to be properly and safely used, keeping a distance from the artwork and the workers.
Usage: outside all entrances, a sign will be placed with all the “do’s” and “don’t’s” while in the passage, to prevent the misusage and ensure the safety of the users. An example: