More Research

Using Oasis, I discovered some really interesting data that backed up my observations at the site itself.

1. For one, within (roughly) a three mile radius of the site, there are three small playgrounds.
2. There are 0 state or city owned parks.
3. A strong storm would effectively flood the hell out of that enormous trench (looking for any empirical data that backs up that assumption.
4. "Green spaces" exist as unattended foliage and weeds, left to develop in concrete cracks and behind fences -- propped iron demarcating the private property of those who feel they need to protect ownership of their weeds.

All of these observations lead to interesting questions regarding demographics. My visit to the site showed plenty of activity: lots of cab garages, car chop shops, and contractors house themselves in low one or two-story buildings. The larger buildings adjacent to the LIRR train yard were obviously empty --> or so it would seem. Artifacts left around some sites suggest that someone (or, technically something) still wanders at least some of these buildings.

What should my Metaform address? What are the needs of the neighborhood? What do the inhabitants love/lack?

Maybe there are so few playgrounds in LIC b/c there are so few kids (of course, the analogy can work in reverse!). But where do the adults play? Besides a porn video shop, leisure in its most typical urban forms (bars and clubs, open playing fields, sit-in restaurants or cinemas) seemed utterly absent in my site visit. INdustry, in its various forms, dominates the topography. But I went in the evening, as the sun dwindled down, I felt myself overwhelmed by something more frightening then footsteps: Silence.

So I thought about creating an interactive game, something that draws attention to this unique geo-social void that developed a subway stop away from Midtown in Queens. Indeed, the neighborhood seems to have the heart, but the not the scale, of Midtown financial towers culture. Should I focus on creating a game that addresses the neighborhood's history? That relates to the neighborhood's infrastructure? This becomes the next question.