Emily Chang

Passport to the Arts

May 3, 2019
Pittsburgh Pride in their Design

When typically discussing design, perhaps specifically seen in cities around the world,

one may not consider all the potential impacts and influences design has on the cultural and

artistic identity of a place. Through his presentation, Rick Landesberg highlighted the many

purposes design can serve in a city and how his particular designs have given to the city in which

it resides. With his ideas in mind, a friend and I went downtown to experience them in person.

Through the guided tour, our eyes were opened to just how transformative a design can be in the

aesthetic of a city and its life. The designs we saw displayed a cultural connection with the city

by drawing on well-known aspects of the area to unite people and an artistic understanding of

what beauty means in design.

Seeing different parts of Pittsburgh that are particularly interesting design elements

brought out a feeling of cultural pride in me as I recognized certain things synonymous of

Pittsburgh. A crosswalk was decorated with beautiful paintings of bridges while still serving the

purpose of a crosswalk, lending itself towards the idea that what is considered art provides

function in some situations. Another culturally infused design was the beautiful Point State Park

medallion with a carving of the three conjoining rivers on it. As Pittsburgh habitants observe the

medallion they get a sense of their culture in regards to Pittsburgh’s location near the three lakes

and how special it is. The many bridges along the waterfront create that similar classic Pittsburgh

feel and continue to help make the city feel proud and culturally rich. Tolstoy speaks of the

infectiousness of art, and the uniting of the viewer or recipient of art with the artists and “other
people who partake of that work of art” (239). He discusses that art can be uniting and join many

together as they have the same experience of taking in the art. As people walk around the city of

Pittsburgh, they are invited to join in this joyous event by finding themselves surrounded by the

art of design on a day to day basis, whether they are walking to catch a train or taking a relaxing

moment near the water. The culture of Pittsburgh is rich and is perfectly captured in

Landesberg’s designs.

Secondly, the designs capture the ability for design to translate into art by incorporating

many different elements such as tempo, duration, and other such qualities as described by

Landesberg. The T station we observed included many elements, like repetition with the

overhanging silver metal poles and the ongoing structure of the design. It creates an interesting

shape that incorporates a modern feeling as well as a beautiful clean aspect. The trail map near

the river was vertically stretched and expanded the viewer’s idea of where they were and helped

contextualize their location in relation to the rest. It serves both form and function in the design,

as well as being an incredibly useful tool which helped my friend and I when we were figuring

out where to go next. Similarly, although the fountain was not on when I visited, the Point State

Park fountain explores height and grandeur, reaching tall and wide and adding to the artistic

picture of the area. The designs cleverly adapted to each area in which they were, adding context

and beauty to each new place.

Exploring the waterfront of Pittsburgh guided by Landesberg’s designs and tour

broadened by view of how design can function in a city and add to it culturally and artistically.

As we journeyed back to campus, I found myself looking out for different other design aspects
that stuck out and made Pittsburgh feel even more like a complex but united city. It was quite

profound to see the elements of the city that stand out and make it more unique design by design.

WORKS CITED

Tolstoy, Leo. What Is Art?New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Co. Inc., Liberal Arts Press, 1960.

Print.