This article by Benjamin Sutton explains New York City’s innovative idea to make pedestrians and drivers pay attention to street safety by launching their Curbside Haiku campaign courtesy of the DOT (Department of Transportation). Due to the number of accidents, it seems like the attempts of the DOT were mostly in vain: thick traffic lines, bike lanes, and increased amount of traffic signs. They hope that the “power of poetry” will make people listen to transportation safety laws.
Initially, I didn’t understand the enthusiasm behind this campaign. If people didn’t even spare a second to glance at a traffic sign, what would compel them to actually read a haiku instead? I’m a fan of poetry and the occasional clever haiku, but I was still skeptical about the efficiency of this idea. It wasn’t until I read a couple of the haikus that I realized that they were concise, clever, and surprisingly morbid. They focused on the consequences and dangers of not listening to traffic laws and signs instead of just displaying a dry warning or rule.
Maybe it is about time that the DOT integrate some of the arts to get their message across. They realized they couldn’t command attention the conventional way and in New York City, art is one of the most powerful mediums to get a message across. Ideally, everyone will be moved by the new campaign and change their traffic safety ways, but from a cynical perspective, who really has a New York Minute?
The main artist behind the Curbside Haiku campaign is John Morse and illustrations by Saul Bass.
Read the full article here.
I followed the same logical path as you when I read about this. I was thinking, “This is safety we’re talking about; this is no time for artsy expression!” However, after reading them, they really do come off as harsh and that’s great! This may be a great opportunity to move the art world into everyday life in places that we would think aren’t the places for art. There are pros and cons to this, but it’s just a matter of figuring out which outweighs the other.
One the pros I’ve thought about for New York City is the introduction of art more so on to buildings where the address appears. I can think of numerous times when I’m looking for a certain building that doesn’t have a name on the outside, and all I have to rely on is its address number! I believe that if buildings would make their address numbers more dressy or flashy, this would not only make the address more apparent, but also it would bring jobs to many graphic designers. Whether it’s a law firm that wants a sophisticated and dressy design or a hip, new clothing store that wants colorful and flashy, I think this would be a great way to make art practical.
One of the clear cons to the art incorporation in everyday life is bathrooms. Now, I’ve had many experiences where a restaurant or any store has attempted to get creative with the male and female signs outside the bathroom doors. Well, let’s just say that when a chicken and rooster are used, instead of a human male and female, a lot of confusion can arise.
Overall, sign readers nowadays need something bigger and flashier to pop out at them to get a message across. People, nowadays, need a dose of reality before they carelessly floor it through a yellow stoplight, and a creative piece of artistic expression may do just that.