Linking communities through dance
Among my passions are dance and music, which inspired me during my thesis journey. Coming from a foreign country, I see that there is a lot of diversity in Boston, a place surrounded by water. “The Link” is the title of my master’s Thesis of Architecture at the Boston Architectural College.
Architecture can help remove barriers that water has created by celebrating and linking diverse cultures. Boston has diverse communities with a wealth of cultures, situated at the edge of the North Atlantic Ocean. The Boston Harbor divides Boston and its communities. Instead of providing several Cultural Performance Spaces for each community, this thesis provided one strong concept that travels along the water and docks in each community, bringing different cultures and experiences to all the stops along the way.
The Cultural Space is dedicated to performing dance because it is one of the strongest expressions and ways to communicate without using words. Language is a big barrier between communities due to people not speaking the same language. In this way, this project unites different backgrounds through an artistic expression.
Relationship with the communities
The intent is to promote cross cultures within the communities to enrich and learn about each other, connecting them through dance. The Link displays the dance from the community with a background on the stage showing their culture to the community where it is docked. The Link can rotate on its axis, being flexible to view the background from the community that will be displaying their culture.
Each community is utilizing an existing green area or Park to arrive at, that serves as a Foyer to the main character. This existing land was redesigned and planned in a way that connects the community to the floating Link, but also invites and welcomes the users. Along these connections, there are several open activities that the user can engage while waiting for the Performance act.
The Pier is an element that connects the land with the docking area. It is flexible and has hinges on its end that allows it to go up and down according to the water level tide. The docking circle floats in water connecting the land and the building. This element is anchored and can be rearranged according to the tide of water. It receives the main building with a playful act of lighting and water springs where the kids can play. Once the building dock is hooked to the circular landing platform it can rotate on its axis almost 360 degrees.
The sphere has an important characterization in the concept. This form is ideal for a 360-degree range of views, also great with compression against the forces of water and wind. it is also significant for the artistic abstraction of the shapes of water and dance representing the link between communities.
The main activity of performance adopted the biggest shape of a dome. This piece can be split and manipulated with its arcs as the human dance arms creating the difference between the audience and the stage. The stage differs in materials, having its transparency to see across to the community on display as a background.
The performance space is linked to the additional activities through a connector bridge. This form acts as a link between the performance and the secondary activities, it is different to the rest having its own characteristic and unifying the missing piece to the community.
Exterior response to performance
The response from the exterior is linked with the concept of display of each community. Each community represents a culture and has a unique representative color. The Link announces to its audience what community is being represented by the colors of the façade. The translucid materials in the project are ETFE (Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, a fluorine-based plastic very light and resistant). The ETFE materials has LED interactive light inside that change colors. The Lobby is lit in the unique color of the community, letting the visitors know what performance they are going to enjoy. When the show is about to start, that color moves to the main space. During the performance, the main space plays with colored lights and sequences with the music, interacting with the dancers. The colors changes along to the beat of the music, changing from low, middle, and high beats, making the building dance along with the show. At the end of the performance, both spaces are lit to show the exit, to usher the patrons from the main space to the exits.
This floating traveling architecture is trying to solve the disconnected cultures and communities around Boston. Through these cultural spaces people can engage and know other’s cultures. People can see and feel the expression and value that each one can provide. This is really inspiring to continue promoting and growing culture, utilizing our context and benefiting the communities.
Ana Merida Arce I Master of Architecture I Spring 2022
