Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Laurence A. Clement / Street musicians and performers attract people to
public spaces. These performers, or ‘buskers’ as
they are commonly referred, typically congregate
along specific streets, parks, plazas, and transit
stops in a city. The term pitch describes the place
buskers perform. Pedestrian flow, visibility, and
acoustics are just some of the factors that street
performers consider when selecting a pitch. While
performers resourcefully adapt to the challenges
of different pitches, public spaces often do little
to accommodate performers and their audiences.
William Whyte observed how street performances
facilitate social interactions between strangers and
give character to cities and neighborhoods. Relative
Pitch explores where performances occur and how
they benefit public places.
Case studies of popular busking locations establish
a typology of squares, streets, and transit stops.
Video clip analysis of street performances demonstrates
the spatial relations between performer and
audience. Dimensions and observations from these
case studies provided insight and information for
the application of the typology to proposed sites in
Wichita, Kansas.
Buskers adapt pitches relative to their physical
environment. Point, linear, planar, and volumetric
elements define and articulate temporary stages,
audience space, and circulation paths during
performances. Design proposals for the typology
sites in Wichita illustrate how flexible performance
spaces can be incorporated in squares, streets, and
transit stops. This project looks at ways to activate
public spaces by encouraging street performance.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:KSU/oai:krex.k-state.edu:2097/8705 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Smith, Daniel Elias |
| Publisher | Kansas State University |
| Source Sets | K-State Research Exchange |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Report |
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