#roarkbeisel

Mission:

   This video aims to create a distinction between the varying cultures in West and East Portland through the use of the Burnside Bridge. Featuring footage under and above the Burnside Bridge on both sides of the city, this video captures the essence of two unique locations rendered by the Willamette River. Although the actual divide between the two locations is not shown in the video, the activities and commentary on each side illustrate their differences. Both sides foster art and creativity, but the Westside does not provide as much of an organic flow of creation in comparison to the Eastside.

Abstract:

   Beginning on the Westside of Portland, this video takes the stance that this part of the city has been formally organized for a substantial amount of time. This is illustrated through the dialogue of Jay “The Cowboy”. He speaks of maintaining a positive outlook while waiting for a stable housing situation. The Westside works well in his case due to the various outreach programs for people looking to transition into permanent housing. Located directly on Burnside near the West bridge head are the Union Gospel Mission, The Portland Rescue Mission, Mercy Corps, Central City Concern Employment Access, and various other programs catering towards those in need of transitional assistance. In addition to these formal developments, the Max train line runs under the West Burnside bridgehead, adding to the already developed urban fabric in this area.

   In order to showcase the differences between the two sides of the city, a similar approach is taken to present the Eastside. A compilation of people skating under the bridge is put together. This snippet of the video illustrates how fundamental this piece of Portland is to the city’s creative history. The comparison between the two sides of the city under the same bridge allows for viewers to understand that further urban development may do more harm than good if the proper steps to maintain culture are not taken.

Project Development:

    The initial idea of our video was to compare the variances in culture throughout Portland through the use of the Broadway and Burnside Bridges. We began by filming at the Broadway bridge on a sunny Fall afternoon. Designed by Ralph Modjeski, the Broadway Bridge opened up for use in 1913. Connecting Northwest Portland to Northeast Portland with a 1,600 foot span, it is used every day by thousands of commuters. The bridge is surrounded by a grain silo, a sports arena (MODA Center), a post office, a train station, and various other governmental entities. These locations attract a crowd that differs from that of the Burnside clientele, which is partly why we decided to redirect our focus.

   The Broadway bridge area is also home to a small portion of the city’s houseless population and a hub for people entering the city via train and charter bus. The majority of locations on both sides of the bridge offer practical services, creating a primarily mobile population within the area. The area is also projected to experience change to accommodate the city’s current growth. The post office is expected to move, leaving 32 acres available for future development. This information is important in describing Portland’s growth, but we decided that relating it to Burnside would create an over complicated narrative. The initial footage we gathered offered a brief glimpse into each side of the both bridges, leaving us without much space to illustrate cultural importance. This left us at the point of focusing more on comparing the history of two bridges rather than the history of two cultures. In order to focus more on cultural comparison, we decided to examine the two sides of Portland via the Burnside bridge.

   With two varying cultures on Burnside separated by the Willamette River, the Burnside bridge offers for a clear comparison of the city’s cultural development. Designed by Ira Hedrick and Robert Kremers, the Burnside bridge opened up for use in 1926. Spanning 1,400 feet, it connects West Portland to East Portland, and is the divide between the North and South sides of the city. Over the past few decades, the area surrounding the bridge has transformed vastly. The area on the East side of the bridge has primarily served as an industrial warehouse community. With freight lines running through area, it has long been used to house various products and industrial materials. Amongst this industrial commotion, the Burnside Skatepark began rooting into the area in 1990, taking over a parking lot under the East side bridge head. The park has blossomed into one of the world’s most distinguished DIY skateparks. Within the past two decades, the bridge and the park have experienced a lot of change due to the growth of the city. The development of the area has threatened the thriving culture within it, and the future of the skatepark is shaky because of it. As the city’s development continues, the Eastside of Portland faces the dilemma of losing its culture, becoming more formal like the Westside.

   In order to capture the elements that make each side of Portland unique, we captured footage of the people and buildings that occupy each side. Dialogue from people and actions on both sides offers a closer look into the differences of the West and East. The Eastside is rich in culture and is in danger of transforming into what the Westside currently is. It is important that the rich artistic culture that exists in this city remains.

Course Reflection:

   This video can be used as a way to illustrate the dangers of gentrification. The West side of the bridge is shown as an area that caters to those who are down on their luck, while the East side is shown as being a place for creative escape. These two ways of viewing the same bridge tell the story of how city development can wreak havoc upon cultural areas. When examining bridges in the future, it will be crucial to look at how each they connect varying parts of the city. In the case of the Burnside bridge, it connects two parts of the city that are at different stages of development. My explorations in this class began with a broader look at two bridges, and narrowed down to focus on one. This focus allowed me to observe Portland in from a new perspective.

   When designing in the future, I will use strategies that were exhibited in this class. When showing our rough cut project, a peer suggested that we throw the end of our video at the beginning. This suggestion seemed radical initially, but ended up leading to clearer refinement. From the point of switching the beginning to the end, we were able to focus on our narrative more. This allowed us to scrap our focus on the Broadway bridge and solely look at the Burnside bridge. Going forward, maintaining an open mind similar to that of the mindset taken upon in this class will allow for my design work to truly blossom.

Bridge Video Dialogue/Narrative

Broadway Dialogue:

    Designed by Ralph Modjeski, the Broadway Bridge opened up for use in 1913. Connecting Northwest Portland to Northeast Portland with a 1,600 foot span, it is used every day by thousands of commuters. The bridge is surrounded by a grain silo, a sports arena (MODA Center), a post office, a train station, and various other governmental entities. These locations attract a crowd that differs from that of the Burnside clientele. The area is home to a small portion of the city’s houseless population and a hub for people entering the city via train and charter bus. The majority of locations on both sides of the bridge offer practical services, creating a primarily mobile population within the area. Within the near future, the area is projected to experience change through the further development of the city to accommodate its current growth. The post office is expected to move, leaving 32 acres available for future development.

Burnside Dialogue:

    Designed by Ira Hedrick and Robert Kremers, the Burnside bridge opened up for use in 1926. Spanning 1,400 feet, it connects West Portland to East Portland, and is the divide between the North and South sides of the city. Over the past few decades, the area surrounding the bridge has transformed vastly. The area on the East side of the bridge has primarily served as an industrial warehouse community. With freight lines running through area, it has long been used to house various products and industrial materials. Amongst this industrial commotion, the Burnside Skatepark began rooting into the area in 1990, taking over a parking lot under the East side bridge head. The park has blossomed into one of the world’s most distinguished DIY skateparks. Within the past two decades, the bridge and the park have experienced a lot of change due to the growth of the city. The development of the area has threatened the thriving culture within it, and the future of the skatepark is shaky because of it.

Conclusion: