Rachel Stromberg

Rachel Stromberg

Both Copley Mall and Newbury Street may be large commercial shopping centers open to the public, but that is where their similarities end. Copley Mall is a mazelike network of hallways and escalators. For the most part, it is dark and close; visitors are closed in on both sides by stores and the occasional restaurant. There are few windows, immersing the visitor in the shopping experience. Although the mall is dotted with occasional open spaces featuring skylights, potted plants, and benches, the space is, by and large, designed for movement through and up. I tried to convey that emphasis through my sketch, focusing on escalators and stairs and the angular, dynamic lines that dominate the space.

Newbury Street, on the other hand, is a mall in open air. Visiting right after having spent time in the mall with its antiseptic, mildly claustrophobic feel, I was struck by how natural the area felt by comparison. Of course, the space still manipulates its visitors to move through it in specific ways (namely, up and down the main street), but its being outside was, to me, the most noticeable feature of the area. For this reason, I decided to make one of the trees along the street the centerpiece of my sketch, with the shops that line the street appearing only indistinctly in the background. The other main feature of the sketch is the line of the street bisecting the page, which dictates the motion of the people and cars passing through.