Implicit and Explicit Meanings

My walk from UTS to Darling Harbour revealed a quite a few things with hidden meanings..

Pedestrian access :

- The image on the left shows the entrance to the tram line behind the Powerhouse museum. This is the first opening in the tree lining for at least 25m, and despite the no entry sign, there is evidence of foot tracks and graffiti on the wall. This suggests they should have provided an opening so people didn’t have to break the rules.

- The image on the right is near the back entrance to Darling Harbour, accessible via Ultimo. Despite being a major tourist attraction, the access for pedestrians is restricted to a footpath in the middle of a large roundabout with freeway entrances and high traffic areas. Doesn’t seem right..

Doors:

- In our ergonomics classes we are taught that a handle affords pulling and a panel affords pushing. But both of these handled doors set back behind a metal strip which means they have to be pushed to get in. It looks as though the owner has become sick of people pulling and getting it wrong that they have had to put a PUSH sign up.

On the street:

- The left image shows a drain and the top of where a tap used to be along Harris St. Possible explanations could be that the tap was unsuitable for the busy thoroughfare so it was removed, but a plate with a hole in it just below waist height is something that affords ‘putting’. The hidden message – less taps, more bins.

- The right image is the walk button that clearly affords pressing/pushing. However the noise that is created by the beeping causes confusion for such a simple activity, and many people end up crossing when they hear the noise from the adjacent pedestrian crossing.

Birds:

- The seagull on the left was found in Darling Harbour, a so called friendly, safe tourist zone. But maybe it’s not so safe after all with this bird and a few others I saw suffering injuries to their legs.

- I found this sign near the Chinese Gardens. Although the meaning isn’t really that hidden, it seems a bit for a tourist area. The whole of Darling Harbour is depicted as iconic and friendly, but there seemed to be a few things that were a bit off.