02.01.17 - Part game, part public art — Michael Piper's "knock a block" debuts in NYC
How can public art become more engaging? One option is to turn it into a game that passers by can play rather than just look at, says Assistant Professor Michael Piper. The architect and urban designer partnered with New York City's Department of Transportation to design knock a block, an interactive activity that can be easily set up in the city's unused provisional plazas.
U of T News recently wrote about the project, which Piper built with the help of Master of Architecture students at the Daniels Faculty:
“It provides another use for the plaza,” Piper says. “Now they serve a sedentary function, mostly adults hanging out, reading the newspaper, drinking coffee. The idea with the game is it adds another constituency to the mix – that being kids and families, mostly, to play these games.”
Piper hopes to bring it soon to Toronto. He wants to work with city builders – from the Faculty of Architecture to condo developers – to introduce the game here.
