The city beneath our feet
Summary
This is an open toolkit that helps people observe cities from a brand-new perspective, allowing learners to discover the stories of the world beneath their feet through manhole cover rubbings.
The City beneath our Feet is a 20-minute open learning toolkit centered on Manhole Cover Rubbing.
It invites learners to take to the streets, to re-understand the city from beneath their feet through rubbing, recording and reflection, and to discover the infrastructure and traces of time hidden in daily life.
Materials Needed
- 2 to 3 sheets of A4 or larger paper (slightly thicker paper is preferred)
- Pencils or crayons (color is not limited)
- Tape (for fixing paper)
- Mobile phone or camera (optional, for taking photos and sharing)
Learning Goals
Re-understand urban infrastructure through action and observation
Master the basic methods of rubbing and complete an on-site collection
Learn to reflect on urban life from images and words
Understand the sharing method of CC BY open license
Complete a city observation and art record within 20 minutes
Steps
Step1
Look for a safe and flat manhole cover in a familiar neighborhood or campus.
Carefully observe its shape, characters, patterns and wear marks, and think about its relationship with the surrounding environment
Step2
Cover the surface of the manhole cover with paper and fix the four corners with tape.
Gently brush the surface with a pencil or crayon to reveal the texture of the manhole cover. After completion, carefully remove the paper.
Step3
Write down the location, date, visible text and your observations of the manhole cover in the blank space of the paper.
Step4
Write down three short lines:
What does this manhole cover tell me?
How does it reflect the time and operation of the city?
What new perspectives have I gained from this?
Step5
Take a photo of your print, note the city and date, and share it under the CC BY Open license to let more people see the city beneath their feet
Step6
Summarize your experience or share your gains with your peers, and reflect on the inspirations brought by urban observations.
The city beneath our feet © 2025 by Menger Yuan is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
(https://openverse.org/image/207b3049-1c0a-41c7-8843-e6e27431e59c?q=Manhole+cover&p=4)
(https://openverse.org/image/207b3049-1c0a-41c7-8843-e6e27431e59c?q=Manhole+cover&p=4)
