Oriana Wang

Oriana Wang

In my sketch, I aimed to draw an accurate representation of the heart of Harvard square, slightly off center from the main T stop, so that I could include the Yard in greater proportion. Overlaid on top of the physical layout of the buildings, shuttle stops, and pathways, I drew a time-signifying color coded map. In the morning, orange highlights my commute from the Quad to the Square and Yard area for classes and meetings. Afternoons perhaps have the widest range, with paths to the bank and other stops for errands, lunch spots, and sometimes the Harvard Book Store. Evenings in purple display the habit of my life after 5pm, which is either heading to the shuttle stops to go home, or to various spots such as JP Licks for ice cream with friends, Dumpling House off the map for dinner, or to the River and back, depending on my schedule for the day.

I had the most difficulty with trying to accurately portray the relationships between different spots I knew well. The actual geometry of the Square, which I walk through multiple times a day, was embarrassingly difficult to draw, and I needed to piece together a quick rough draft after many erasures. Other details have been blatantly omitted, such as the many streets that are perpendicular to Mass Ave, since they all seem to blend together with their similar brick cobblestones and shops lining the sidewalk, although the assortment may vary. My sketch was generally accurate, but featured more heavily seemed to be places to study and to eat, since that symbolizes two of my priorities at Harvard. Both locations of classrooms, and food establishments where I meet friends and catch up and reflect on this period of our lives spent studying highlight the beginning and ends of the arrows I drew for my movements throughout different times of day.