1/17/18 First Visit
It wasn't where I thought I would be, but I ended up in Domino's, by accident.
I was walking down the street from the quad, heading to the pottery shop in town. There is a children's playroom in there, and I thought it would be an interesting place to stay and observe. But sadly, when i walked up there, I was only to find out that it was closed due to the icy weather.
I didn't know what to do at the moment, and was quite anxious that I wouldn't find another ideal place to stay. With the thought in mind, I started walking back unwillingly. Almost back to the quad, a Domino's car drove by me. I somehow thought that the Domino's sign on top of the car was slightly blinking as if it was calling on me. I decided to follow the car's path. The moment was quite unreal.
So I ended up in the actual Domino's shop. I walked in, the doorbell rang. There was a mixed smell (that i'm still looking for a way to captured) of dough and marinara garlic sauce, barbecue and parmesan cheese, and something else that i couldn't name. I sat down, and started recording random parts in the room and made some quick sketches. Red, white, and blue, squares, rectangles, and circles made up the whole space. It was easy colors and bold shapes; they meet the characteristics of a fast-food restaurant: quick, easy, repetitive looking-good. But it is not just the ordered and repetitive colors and shapes. They made the shop more lively than that. On the screen, there were photos of the little kids in Lexington in a slideshow. Babies sat in a toy car. Little girls and boys with balloons in their hands were running around. It was something I do not expect from Domino's (also, the Domino's does not have seats so it was only a place for cooking and for customers to pick up food). Looking around, I found a little step. It is for "young pizza spectators". Children can step on it and look how they make pizzas!!
It is a fast food pick up place where the customers wouldn't stay for more than 10 minutes. But they put so much life into it, which is unexpected to me.
The unexpectedness of me going to Domino's and the unexpectedness brought by the place gave me little surprises that I found excitement in.
(The pictures was what I recorded on my journal that day. If you read it closely you might find it quite strange and stupid because i was pretending i were an alien. )
It wasn't where I thought I would be, but I ended up in Domino's, by accident.
I was walking down the street from the quad, heading to the pottery shop in town. There is a children's playroom in there, and I thought it would be an interesting place to stay and observe. But sadly, when i walked up there, I was only to find out that it was closed due to the icy weather.
I didn't know what to do at the moment, and was quite anxious that I wouldn't find another ideal place to stay. With the thought in mind, I started walking back unwillingly. Almost back to the quad, a Domino's car drove by me. I somehow thought that the Domino's sign on top of the car was slightly blinking as if it was calling on me. I decided to follow the car's path. The moment was quite unreal.
So I ended up in the actual Domino's shop. I walked in, the doorbell rang. There was a mixed smell (that i'm still looking for a way to captured) of dough and marinara garlic sauce, barbecue and parmesan cheese, and something else that i couldn't name. I sat down, and started recording random parts in the room and made some quick sketches. Red, white, and blue, squares, rectangles, and circles made up the whole space. It was easy colors and bold shapes; they meet the characteristics of a fast-food restaurant: quick, easy, repetitive looking-good. But it is not just the ordered and repetitive colors and shapes. They made the shop more lively than that. On the screen, there were photos of the little kids in Lexington in a slideshow. Babies sat in a toy car. Little girls and boys with balloons in their hands were running around. It was something I do not expect from Domino's (also, the Domino's does not have seats so it was only a place for cooking and for customers to pick up food). Looking around, I found a little step. It is for "young pizza spectators". Children can step on it and look how they make pizzas!!
It is a fast food pick up place where the customers wouldn't stay for more than 10 minutes. But they put so much life into it, which is unexpected to me.
The unexpectedness of me going to Domino's and the unexpectedness brought by the place gave me little surprises that I found excitement in.
(The pictures was what I recorded on my journal that day. If you read it closely you might find it quite strange and stupid because i was pretending i were an alien. )
You've chosen a really unique place to map, and I hope it serves you well! One thing that I notice in fast-food restaurants is the character of the lighting they use. Try comparing how well-lit the Dominoes is to a fancy, sit-down restaurant in town, like the Haywoods. See how the design of the place affects how long people stay there.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your observations about how the store has catered to families with features that are fun for children, like the extra step over the counter so small children can watch the process. Even though no children were there, the function of the things in the room were apparent enough to tell their story.
Great idea to sketch everything you see as if you are an Alien. Even the everyday objects seem weird when you take them out of their context and draw them on paper with fresh eyes. I am excited to see where you take this.
Reggie, I enjoyed reading about the unexpectedness of discovering your place. Although you had a very specific place in mind, a form of fate led you to another site. I can relate to the Domino's sign on top of the car as every time I see, I crave a piece of pizza. It's an interesting place to observe because there is no place to dine in, only carryout. I would love to hear some sounds from the place, especially during rush hour as calls are coming in and pizzas are rushing out. I agree with Rossella and can't wait to see more drawings.
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