Jordan Lawson's Madison Space for 4/7

Located in the grassy mall beside the Physics and Chemistry buildings on East Campus, Astronomy Park is utilized as a forum for social gathering. This photo was taken at 8:30 in the morning due to the high traffic during any other time of the day (especially with nice weather). Although I surmise that those who don’t live on East Campus don’t utilize this space. In fact it is not even on the JMU map! The function of this space is to allow viewing of constellations in the night sky hence the name Astronomy Park. This space is intended for JMU students as well as the community. I have seen some classes being taught out here along with tanning sessions. This shows how varied and conflicted the use of this space is. The structure reminds me of the Greek amphitheater which was utilized for performances. This allows me to believe that the true function of this space was just to be a public area where one could be a voyeur.

This space especially relates to Mattson’s essay on public space. This area is set up in a commons fashion, to promote democracy and evoke a civic sense. This is a place that belongs to everyone and was designed to bring people together. I will always remember the lustrous views from Astronomy park which according to Michael O'Muircheartaigh ; "No known roof is as beautiful as the skies above."