Bethlehem, PA gets a "biopsy"

An artist hopes to capture the emotions of a Pennsylvania city through an innovative project that started last night. Christian Nold is creating an “emotional map” of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

An artist hopes to capture the emotions of a Pennsylvania city through an innovative project that started last night.  Christian Nold is creating an “emotional map” of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Transcript:
Participants in the “Bethlehem Biopsy” will walk the city armed with a device that records their emotional responses to what they see.

Artist Christian Nold will use that information to create a map charting what gave people those responses, ranging from stores and shops to seeing children at play.  He says that creates a picture of where emotional centers exist in cities.

Nold: “You see these kind of really interesting background patterns starting to emerge where you can really see which are the social spaces where the people really interact.  And places that sometimes you’d expect to be social spaces turn out not to be social spaces at all.”

Nold has done similar work in Paris and San Francisco.  The project is being funded by Lehigh University and could help designers make urban planning decisions in Bethlehem.

More information:
Visit Christian Nold’s website, Bethlehem Biopsy

Listen:
Click on the play button below or right click on this link and choose “Save Link As” to download. [audio: reports20090402map.mp3]