Raising the Lawn
Iris Guo

This project stemmed from my observation of one of the roads at the University of Sydney, the Fisher Road. When I passed this road, I found that the pedestrians on the road, including myself, rarely stopped by this lawn. After I deliberately stayed at the site for half an hour to observe, I found that the kinds of people passing by were diverse, like runners, dogs walkers, and people passing by in a hurry on the sidewalks.
And I start to think, why don’t they have a sit with friends here, as people do on the grass in front of the Law School? Or in front of the Great Hall?

And then I guess I found the answer. First, this grassland is an empty area, and there are no public facilities. I guess people subconsciously treat it as a roadside open space. Second, when I tried to sit down on the grass, I found buildings surrounded in all directions, which blocked my sight, and it was unenjoyable. Unlike the lawn in front of the great hall, which faces the Victoria park, people choose to go there not only for the famous old building but to sit on the grass, face to the park, and enjoy the wide view. This is why I chose to build an exhibition here to create an opportunity for people to stay and explore this area more.