Choreographing architecture - dance in the world

JFK Airport is building a new terminal, and is applying dancerly knowledge to the task.

Honouring the experience of choreographers who organize human spatial environments with intelligence and grace, David Rockwell (architect and set designer) hired choreographer Jerry Mitchell to help plan and orchestrate human movement in an airport setting.

This apparently led the architects to eliminate crisscrossing and straight edges in favor of a merry-go-round approach since “people move easiest in circles,” and to recognize the “different emotional experiences” of arrival and departure and treat them accordingly.

Particularly interesting about this project is the broad human response to the personalisation of spaces (designing spaces/places that are concurrently useful to both individuals and crowds - think about it... it's not all that simple) and the personification of spaces (for example, in contrast to the welcoming embrace of Grand Central Station, Penn Station seems to sneer and say, "Get lost!", or so attributes this New York Times article At the New JetBlue Terminal, Passengers may Pirouette to Gate 3). This article also reveals that directors of JetBlue wanted the terminal to 'feel sexy', which somehow translated into making movement feel sexy (or at least not random and leadfooted), and this in turn translated into one possible definition of dance. A sexy building, a sexy embodiment, a dance. Not the same thing!?

A slideshow of initial ideas/research and resulting plans can be found here. Overall it's alright (rather plodding), but the best thing about it is seeing Mitchell's scribbled notes on landmark NY photographs. These are revealing, interesting and controversial.

To read more about this project, and to see my original source of information, click here.

- R