Readerly v Writerly Urbanism

READERLY WRITERLY URBANISM BARTHES, PRACA CANTAO AND THE CHANGING NATURE OF THE SANTA MARTA FAVELA

Brodie Blades

READERLY v WRITERLY URBANISM BARTHES, PRACA CANTAO AND THE CHANGING NATURE OF THE SANTA MARTA FAVELA

by Brodie Blades Numerous urban design theorists have postulated a range of concepts to assist in the understanding of urban environments. One such prominent theorist is Roland Barthes, who applied linguistic terminology to the ‘text’ of urban environments - and by doing so developed and applied the concepts of readerly and writerly urban texts. This short essay is based on this, and explores the differences between Barthes’ readerly and writerly urban texts through an exploration of the impacts of the Praca Cantao artistic intervention on the narrative of the Santa Marta favela in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. By comparing and analysing Santa Marta before and after Praca Cantao, a deeper understanding of the nature and impacts of Barthes’ theories of readerly and writerly urban texts can be achieved.

Defining Readerly and Writerly Texts In order to engage with this statement, it is first necessary to make the distinction between Barthes’ theories of readerly and writerly texts when applied to an urban context. The rationale behind Barthes’ application of linguistic terminologies to the urban environments is based on the perception that the city itself is a language written by the built environment, and read by its inhabitants through use and cognitive imaging (Barthes, 1986). Within this analogy are the concepts of readerly and writerly urban environments as a form of ‘text’ capable of being interpreted and understood. Regarding the definition of readerly and writerly texts, Dovey makes the following assertion: ‘In his later works, Barthes distinguishes between what he calls readerly verse writerly texts. A readerly text has pregiven meanings, is popular, easy to consume and requires little effort. By contrast, writerly texts invite the reader to construct meaning, subvert passive consumption and challenge the reader into consideration of its code and construction. (Dovey, 2008 p 211).

Based on this, it is understood that a readerly urban text is an environment that is simple to understand – the meaning and purpose of the space is clear, and it takes little effort for an audience to become familiar with and interpret a readerly urban location. In this manner the readerly urban space is written by a higher being at a higher level, and is able to be passively ingested by the beholder (Owens, 2004). Conversely, writerly urban environments stimulate activity in the audience, who are required to construct their own meanings in the space. By doing so, the audience evolves from a ‘consumer’ to a ‘producer’ through playing a part in the authoring of the writerly urban text (Owens, 2004).

Essentially, urban environments that are writerly do not have pre-arranged meanings available for the beholder to ingest (Dovey, 2008), and through this, invite the reader to apply their own meaning (Owens, 2004).

Barthes’ theories of readerly and writerly urban environments stem from Barthes’ wider theories on semantics in built form, or semiotic theory. Within this, Barthes identifies that readerly and writerly texts are closely linked to de Saussure’s theories of ‘signifiers’ and the ‘signified’, as well as Barthes’ theories on the creation of ‘myth’ (Dovey, 2008).

Mythologies are of particular importance to readerly and writerly urban environments, as mythological urban locations are typically manifestations of inherently readerly environments (Barthes, 1973). For example, Barthes identifies that the landmark Eiffel Tower is indicative of a readerly environment, with pre-arranged meanings and French connotations forming the myth of the structure that transcends its practical purpose (Barthes, 1997). The ability of the myth of the Eiffel Tower to be readily consumed and understood is directly indicative of the readerly nature of the landmark (the myth) (Barthes, 1997). By understanding this, we can come to understand how landmarks and mythology transform understanding of urban environments in a manner that applies pre-set meanings and connotations to urban narratives.

However, Barthes’ theories of semiotics and readerly/writerly urban texts are not without its critics. For example, whilst Gottdiener reinforces that urban semiotics represents one of the most recent applications of the semiotic approach to cultural analysis, he states that the key weakness of the linguistic analogy of urban semiotics is the inability of the theory to readily pass from metaphor to analysis when speaking of the ‘language of the city’ (Gottdiener, 1983).

The applicability of largely linguistic terminology to urban environments has also been questioned by Krampen, who identified the impracticalities of the unwarranted application of Barthes’ linguistic analogies to complex, non-linguistic, urban systems (Krampen, 1979).

Regardless, Barthes’ theories of readerly and writerly urban environments provide a useful alternative framework for the understanding of space and complex urban phenomenon. By applying Barthes’ theories of readerly and writerly texts (and mythologies) to the Praca Cantao artistic intervention in the Santa Marta favela, a real-world understanding of the concepts of readerly and writerly texts can be achieved.

Santa Marta Favela and the Praca Cantao Project The favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro are dynamic and complex environments that are constantly changing both within themselves, and in response to the changes in Rio de Janeiro’s wider urban structure (O’Hare et. al., 2002). Having evolved in the mountainous hillsides of Rio de Janeiro’s urban outskirts due to the historic absence of affordable housing and high levels of population growth and post-war migration, the favelas presented an ideal location for formalised forms of long term squatting (O’Hare et. al., 2002). Over time, the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas (favelinos) began to represent an increasing proportion of Rio de Janeiro’s resident population as the disparity between rich and poor grew, and in 2001 over 39% of Rio de Janeiro’s 5.3 million inhabitants resided in substandard favela housing (O’Hare et.al., 2002).

The particular favela of Santa Marta is located within the southern Rio de Janeiro locale of Botafogo, at the interface of some of Rio de Janeiro’s most wealthy regions (Copacabana, Sao Conrade) and destitute locales (Rocinha).

Santa Marta – and indeed all favelas – are examples of what Barthes referred to as a writerly environments, as they are palimpsestic manifestations of a complex array of forces and influences (gender disparities, deteriorated living conditions, marginalization and high rates of crime [Pieterse 2012]) that invites the beholder to construct meaning; whether it be ‘home’, or a manifestations of urban blight. Potrc reinforces the writerly nature of slum communities in Latin America by identifying that informal communities such as Santa Marta represent a structure with high degrees of self-organisation that display a variety of complex processes, patterns and creative dynamics (Potrc, 2005).

However, in 2010 Dutch artists Koolhaas and Urhahn undertook an artistic intervention within the Santa Marta favela entitled ‘Praca Cantao’ (Favela Painting, 2013). This project repainted over 7000m2 of the central square of Santa Marta, and by doing so repositioned the meaning and legibility of the favela narrative from one of an inherently writerly urban text towards one of a more readerly nature.

The Praca Cantao project generated increased levels of symbolic capital (Dovey, 2008) within Santa Marta through the creation of a production of a mythology and local landmark, and by doing so simplified the complex manifestation of influences and forces underpinning slum communities through the creation of an urban environment with predetermined meanings that became easier to consume - the hallmark of Barthes’ readerly environment. As a result of Praca Cantao and the production of the Santa Marta favela mythology (and the consequent transition of a writerly urban text towards a readerly one), Santa Marta – and indeed the wider favela community - became increasingly positioned as a tourist attraction by way of place branding and iconography (Freire-Medeiors, 2009). The transition has framed poverty as a popular product for consumption through tourism at a global scale, with emerging ‘reality tours’ to Santa Marta and other favelas now an actively acknowledged tourist destination by Rio de Janeiro’s tourism board (Freire-Medeiors, 2009). The inherently writerly complex array of influences and forces at play in informal slum communities has now been reshaped into a readerly destination of pre-arranged meaning through the creation of a more readerly urban text under the Praca Cantao project, which hosts an emerging reality tourism market of approximately 3000 visitors/month to Santa Marta and neighbouring Rocinha as of 2009 (Freire-Medeiors, 2009).

Figure 1 - Santa Marta before and after Praca Cantao (Favela Painting, 2013)

It is important to note that Praca Cantao is not an inherently negative intervention – certainly, one can analyse a plethora of positive community building outcomes that have been perpetuated as a result of Praca Cantao. However, in terms of an application of Barthes’ principles of readerly and writerly urbanism, the creation of mythology under the Praca Cantao project in Santa Marta has perpetuated a shift from an inherently writerly urban environment of complex

social issues toward one of a readerly nature available for consumption by tourism. For this reason, Santa Marta provides a useful case study for the application and understanding of Barthes’ theories of readerly and writerly urban texts.

Conclusion Roland Barthes’ application of semiotic theory and linguistic terminology to urban environments resulted in the postulating and application of readerly and writerly environments; that is, environments that are readily understood with pre-determined and arranged meanings, and those that are the manifestations of complex arrays of forces and influences that require the beholder to construct their own meaning. The 2010 Praca Cantao artistic intervention by Koolhaas and Urhahn in the Santa Marta favela provides a useful manifestation of readerly and writerly environments, in which the project repositioned the inherently writerly nature of a poverty-stricken settlement towards one of a more readerly nature through the creation of symbolic capital/mythologies and the pre-packaging of the meaning of the urban environment for consumption by a tourist market. By comparing and analysing Santa Marta before and after the Praca Cantao artistic intervention, a deeper understanding of the nature and impacts of Barthes’ theories of readerly and writerly urban texts has been achieved.

Sources: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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Cover image source: Graffart, 2014