The Mall of Georgia

For our mall assignment I decided to go to the Mall of Georgia and see just how quickly mall security responded to reports of someone with a camera...they did not seem concerned at all until I actually left the mall and took a picture of a parking lot, that's when all hell broke loose. I managed to get away and found a new reason to hate malls.

Above is the main entrance to the mall. I have always thought it is odd that the mall's main entrance opens to the food court's sea of tables. The addition of the fountain right by the door, however, completely negates the smoothie from Orange Julius which is probably spilled on the floor. This is also the main entrance...the space is architecturally unique, but it really feels like an airplane hanger. Its massive scale removes the individual from the equation. The massive window as well as the skylights admit a great amount of light which helps provide a distinct atmosphere. The skylights are repeated throughout the mall and provide an atrium-esque quality which is furthered by the openings in the second floor to allow light to reach the first. But again, the massive scale of the buildings makes it feel like an airplane hanger.

Traffic through the rest of the mall is often interrupted. These images show the variety of impediments to even traffic flow. First is a carousel inside the main entrance...as if the screaming children weren't enough to make you leave, they now have a carousel to increase the ridiculous carnival feeling of the mall. You can also see the crisscrossing escalators which move the herds up to the second and third floors of the mall.

Since the mall is supposed to be the mall in the state, it has several displays depicting the history and culture of the state's various regions. Here one guy examines the Piedmont display looking at wood working tools and archaeological artifacts. I'm not sure how a few display boxes in the middle of an atrium can educated the public, but at least there is something unique in this approach. Not to worry though, the fountains and kitschy kiosks which are de rigeur for malls are not overlooked...they exist, but are really unattractive and/or awkward, especially the fountain which is designed to look like a gold panner's sluice box.