The Rush Hour Stairs are an Escape.
The city is chaotic.
The Stairs are chaotic.
But the hotel that lies beyond them is a sanctuary.
Our Rush Hour stairs act as a bridge between our dystopian city setting and the utopian, Waiheke Island inspired, hotel. One must traverse these stairs in order to reach peace.
This is not a comfortable task, as the stairs emanate chaos. Horizontal lines of light set against a dark background imitate the appearance of rushing traffic. These walls rise high above our eye level, making us feel trapped within the confines of the busy, rushing stairs. The steps, inspired by an aerial view of the city, are abstract and appear almost disjointed. Finally as a last straw, there is overwhelming noise on the staircase- one can hear common traffic noises, bleeping horns, cars rushing by, and the squealing of sirens as one runs up the stairs. For surely one would run, when confronted with such a cacophony, an overwhelming sensation, with the knowledge that there is a heaven beyond.
The hotel is designed to act as a utopia against its dystopian setting. However, when walking up these city inspired stairs, one may ask themselves if the city, so different to the island hell, really is a utopia. Perhaps it has bad points at all? Perhaps when one leaves the hotel, going down these same stairs, these stairs will be their lasting memory, and perhaps they will teach them to appreciate more what they left behind.
The rush hour stairs teach us that there is no such thing as a utopia or a dystopia, simply a conglomeration of both, which only depends on one's point of view.
The city is chaotic.
The Stairs are chaotic.
But the hotel that lies beyond them is a sanctuary.
Our Rush Hour stairs act as a bridge between our dystopian city setting and the utopian, Waiheke Island inspired, hotel. One must traverse these stairs in order to reach peace.
This is not a comfortable task, as the stairs emanate chaos. Horizontal lines of light set against a dark background imitate the appearance of rushing traffic. These walls rise high above our eye level, making us feel trapped within the confines of the busy, rushing stairs. The steps, inspired by an aerial view of the city, are abstract and appear almost disjointed. Finally as a last straw, there is overwhelming noise on the staircase- one can hear common traffic noises, bleeping horns, cars rushing by, and the squealing of sirens as one runs up the stairs. For surely one would run, when confronted with such a cacophony, an overwhelming sensation, with the knowledge that there is a heaven beyond.
The hotel is designed to act as a utopia against its dystopian setting. However, when walking up these city inspired stairs, one may ask themselves if the city, so different to the island hell, really is a utopia. Perhaps it has bad points at all? Perhaps when one leaves the hotel, going down these same stairs, these stairs will be their lasting memory, and perhaps they will teach them to appreciate more what they left behind.
The rush hour stairs teach us that there is no such thing as a utopia or a dystopia, simply a conglomeration of both, which only depends on one's point of view.
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