transgressive urbanism
01
elizabeth ott
university of tennessee, knoxville college of architecture + design self-directed diploma studio arch 498, fall semester 2018 professor jennifer akerman
preface
“In one sense, burglars seem to understand architecture better than the rest of us. They misuse it, pass through it, and ignore any limitations a building tries to impose. Burglars don’t need doors; they’ll punch holes through walls or slice down through ceilings instead. Burglars unpeel a building from the inside out to hide inside the drywall (or underneath the floorboards, or up in the trusses of an unlit crawl space). They are masters of architectural origami, demonstrating skills the rest of us only wish we had, dark wizards of cities and buildings, unlimited by laws that hold the rest of us in.”
A Burglar’s Guide to the City, page 13 Geoff Manaugh
02_Gordon Matta-Clark; Conical Intersect Installation; 1975
CONTENTS 01 POSITION 02 FRAMEWORK 03 ALLIES 04 METHODOLOGY 05 PROPOSAL 06 REFLECTION 07 APPENDIX
03_facial recognition software in Beijing
01 POSITION Leftovers are offensive to some and a delicious anticipation to others. Architecture prefers to ignore its leftovers. They are afterthoughts that have been donated to the public or the client, but never an accepted space. Often, they exist as unpleasant remnants of construction or hasty additions necessary to the project. Perhaps it is an unwelcomed space generated as a result of the project. Regardless, we want to be rid of them and turn a blind eye to these urban imperfections. They become latent. And when these spaces are used, we admonish the users. Children are scolded when they precariously balance on ledges; we recoil at the sight of graffiti and reprimand invisible artists at further destroying a space we never used to begin with; parkour athletes astonish us with their fearless challenge to surfaces; the demonstrator commands space while we sit back and scold the idea that they have such authority; and the criminal finds opportunity in the vacancies that the built environment has produced to facilitate a means of acquisition. Why is spatial misappropriation only associated as offensive and disrespectful? The encouragement of spatial misappropriation is frowned upon, as it is seen as an encouragement to
bad behavior and failure in the future adult world. And coupled with the questioning of surveillance, the desire to evade recognition [camouflage], and manipulation of perception, latent spaces can become a I call upon the architect to harness the minds of urban vigilantes to evaluate their thinking of architecture into a manner that visualizes latency as a living organism. How may we alter the lens of perception from hibernating spaces into stored potential awaiting opportunistic release? How can we use latency as an architectural quality rather than it be an urban excess? How do we overcome the notion that we need the comfort of security by means of technology? The intent of this study is to document and expose a database of latency typologies within an urban fabric by means of investigating elements of spatial misappropriation, surveillance, camouflage, and perception by way of the criminal lens.
04_the eyes of judgement on spatial misappropriation
02 FRAMEWORK “The truth is, your identity has already been stolen.” – Frank Abagnale Jr. The criminal act of fraud encompasses the loss of identity while simultaneously exhibiting the skill of burglars and con artists to manipulate victims with a false identity. Stripping identity by means of identity. The deviant acts of criminals and association with identity jumpstarted a discussion of specifically what about criminals was fascinating. The pathological lying, thorough planning, the assembly of a master team, the perfect selection of site, and the discipline required to execute resonated as qualities of criminals that could be referenced back into architecture. Before completely bridging to architecture, a film series showcasing the cinematic methods of exposing spatial criminal architecture was reviewed with the lineup including and in the following order: Ocean’s Eleven, The Sting, Inside Man, To Catch a Thief, and Baby Driver. This panel of five films demonstrate a range of crimes, production methods, and eras of audience. From each film, a primary arose of crime and its relationship to architecture.
Ocean’s Eleven : In planning the heist, Danny Ocean & Co. have specified every detail from where the journey to the casinos will start to what type of clothing [X] will wear to appear natural as a casino employee. Therefore, the site goes beyond the property lines so what does the context and impact of an individual building really have on the culture of an area? The Sting : As con men seeking revenge, the urban grid is the grounds for a game of cat and mouse. To outwit the victim. How does urban design contribute to the facilitation of criminal activities and what qualities specifically encourage it? Inside Man : In a seemingly impossible situation, the answer becomes obvious. How can we train to see the possible in the impossible? To Catch a Thief : A demonstration of how roofs are an underutilized field. What other spaces in a building or urban context are underutilized or latent? Baby Driver : Infrastructure becomes a colloquial labyrinth for blending in to escape. How does urbanism facilitate crime?
09_Baby Driver
08_To Catch a Thief
07_Inside Man
06_The Sting
05_Ocean’s Eleven
These questions sharpened the trajectory of study into one that considered the misuse of space, or spatial misappropriation. Spatial misappropriation is defined for this project as “the mischievous unconventional use of a programmed and/or public space� so not only are criminals a player in this game but children, parkour athletes, graffiti artists, jaywalkers, and protesters can be considered as the criminal’s colleagues. The fields in which these characters inhabit include blank walls, streets, abandoned buildings, elevated planes, mechanical spaces, etc. These are spaces that could be considered as leftovers, or the more politically correct version, architectural excess. These are objects or surfaces that remain beyond the construction of a project that are unused by the traditional user of the project. In fact, we often turn a blind eye to the existence of urban imperfections and these spaces become camouflaged by being unoccupied. And when a space is unoccupied, it becomes latent.
Latent spaces are those conditions in an urban fabric that are deemed uninhabitable by spatial, temporal, or user qualities. A singular quality or all three may affect the comfort factor. The character of the space may appear threatening and ominous, foreboding the consideration to occupy. The time of the day may affect relative comfort to occupying a space. The amount and types of people that typically exist here also affect the comfort factor. Besides the qualities that affect latent spaces, there are other qualities that are overlaid with this diction to provide a richer study. These include: spatial misappropriation & transgression, perception, surveillance & technology, and camouflage.
10_a tilted perspective of a latent space
“…snafu refers to that moment when a deviation, latent in the system, occurs, subverting the intended outcome of the given system.” - Pamphlet Architecture #21, Situation Normal… LTL Architects Transgressive, adj. Oxford English Dictionary 1 involving a violation of moral or social boundaries. 1.1 relating to art or literature in which orthodox moral, social, and artistic boundaries are challenged by the representation of unconventional behavior and the use of experimental forms. Transgression, n. Merriam-Webster Dictionary 1 an act, process, or instance of transgressing: such as a. infringement or violation of a law, command, or duty
11_transgression + misuse of space
TRANSGRESSION Transgression is the atmosphere that characterizes latent spaces and is closely related to the idea of spatial misappropriation. Whereas spatial misappropriation is the misuse of a space, transgression is the motivation behind the misuse. LTL’s Pamphlet Architecture #21 publication Situation Normal describes a related phenomenon where “snafu refers to that moment when a deviation, latent in the system, occurs, subverting the intended outcome of the given system.” Snafu is the phenomena that characterizes the vandals such as children, criminals, jaywalkers, parkour athletes, graffiti artists, and protesters who recognize the opportunity to misbehave and use it.¹ Michael Zinganel in his piece, “Vandalism as a Productive Force” illustrates how vandals utilize buildings in a more constructive manner than architects. But first, “they test it: they write graffiti in the hallways, wreak havoc on empty apartments, leave rubble behind and fill up bathtubs with garbage.” Only then will they ”know the building is either really
empty, is not checked up on, or that the residents or owners aren’t concerned about it.”² If not scolded or the traces of vandalism are removed, this grants the freedom to misbehave or act without punishment. What does a culture of transgression look like? Imagine if we never discouraged spatial misappropriation or transgression to young children. They would grow up with the idea that the built environment is full of creative opportunity. Would the respect we hold for structures dissolve and would we treat spaces as a canvas like the vandals who test latent spaces? Like Gordon MattaClark, we would feel less attachment to the defined planes and traditions of building and approach design and use with uninhibited freedom.
Perception, n. Oxford English Dictionary 1 the action of perceive v. a. the process of becoming aware or conscious of a thing or things in general; the state of being aware; consciousness; (spiritual) understanding (obsolete) b. the capacity to be affected by a physical object, phenomenon, etc., without direct contact with it; an instance of such influence. 2 a perceptible trace or vestige. Obsolete. Rare. 3 the process of becoming aware of physical objects, phenomena, etc., through the senses; an instance of this
12_when square footage is short, draw in the perspective
PERCEPTION A reason that latent spaces are void of inhabitance is due to the perception that people have of these places. Perception is the control of an individual’s visual understanding of a space. It is partly influenced by the culture and background of an individual; however, humans can be treated as one when targeting perception in design. Wooden brain teaser puzzles operate in a manner similarly by trapping the user in a seemingly simple design when the solution is far more complex or vice versa. Furthermore, the two-dimensional representation shown by M.C. Escher and Giovanni Piranesi illustrate impossible and complex situations yet are referenced for architectural inspirations. The popular game Monument Valley joins the moving pieces of a wooden brainteaser with the minds of Escher and Piranesi to form an experience where every surface can be manipulated and levels are arbitrary.
Illusions have been successful beyond drawing representation but also in built form. The Ames room, inspired by Hermann von Helmholtz and constructed by Adelbert Ames Jr. later in 1946 is a prime example of the possibilities with spatial perception manipulation. Two people of the same height enter the mock room and go to opposite directions; the individual on the left shrinks while the person to the right grows.³ It reminds one of the scenes from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, such as the shrinking room that enters the garden and the mysterious dead end corridor that has only one door but two avenues of movement. In fact, the story and film of Willy Wonka represents the discomfort and disbelief when spaces or objects are not as they seem and the perception. Artist James Turrell studied “ganzfeld”, the German word for “total loss of perception” and produced a series of installations with the same German term. In his exhibits, senses are stripped by the flooding of a colored light and an
13_art installation perspective
13_art installation perspective
PERCEPTION enclosed space.4 Other artists like Felice Varini use position the user to provide a specific perception of a space by painting an experience desired by the artist. Any variation of the placement will reap a strange colorful space. Deserted structures give the impression of filth and anarchy. How may we alter the lens of perception from hibernating spaces into stored potential awaiting opportunistic release? How can perception be pushed to generate scenarios that are desirable, hide truth, or alter reality?
“The fact is, conduct most of us think of as private and anonymous is increasingly taking place under the electronic gaze of video surveillance cameras.” - Who’s Watching? New York Civil Liberties Union Surveillance, n. Oxford English Dictionary a. watch or guard kept over a perosn, etc., esp. over a suspected person, a prisoner, or the like; often, spying, supervision; less commonly, supervision for the purpose of direction or control, superintendence. b. attributive, esp. of devices, vessels, etc., used in military or police surveillance.
14_surveillance architecture
SURVEILLANCE The antithesis to crime is security. Surveillance technology is an infringement on privacy yet is an object that offers comfort. We immediately seek comfort in the placement of cameras in hidden nooks or more appropriately looking like pigeons nesting high on a façade, craning their necks to spy on the happenings below. Surveillance is a false pretense to security and the purpose of security is no longer. Everything and nothing is secure. According to New York Civil Liberties Union publication “Who’s Watching”, it describes a study performed in 1998 and in 2005 in the lower Manhattan area. In 1998, they discovered 769 surveillance cameras populating the urban context but found in 2005 that the number of surveillance cameras increased almost by six times, infesting the urbanism with nearly 4468 cameras. It further discusses that these cameras are capturing “people in the city’s parks, streets and sidewalks; they can also store and archive video images – and then
transfer, upload and disseminate digital images at warp speed to the farthest reaches of the Internet.”5 The sense of privacy is false as cameras have evidence of our every move. If they can follow our tracks, they can pick up on our habits and quantify people as if they are subjects in a study, a math problem waiting to be solved. We are so preoccupied with the sense of safety and measures such as lighting, surveillance cameras, and locks. From Vandalism as a Productive Force, “elements of ‘disorder’ are symbols of decline within a community which make ‘respectable’ residents uncertain to a point where they withdraw from public view or even move out of the neighborhood…”² Abandoned buildings, graffiti, and rubble are symbols associated with danger and incite the “flight” reaction upon seeing it and can only be remedied by bright lights and cameras and cleanliness.
Camouflage, n. Oxford English Dictionary 1 Disguise, concealment; (now) esp. a means of, or the action of, misleading someone or disguising the truth. Camouflage, v. Oxford English Dictionary 1 transitive. To conceal or disguise the presence of (a person, animal, or object) by means of camouflage; to paint, cover, etc., with camouflage. Also reflexive. 2 transitive. fig. and in figurative contexts. To conceal or disguise; esp. to conceal the existence of (something undesirable)
15_dazzle camouflage
CAMOUFLAGE From the realm of security, breaches of the system are often unseen, or camouflaged. Camouflage responds to the concept of security to go unseen or undetected. The trajectory of our technological advances has produced cars that sense their surroundings via radar technology and cameras that have begun to recognize faces in a crowd. With the growing fascination of being able to understand and process everything, where does this leave privacy? Furthermore, by inquiring into the means of avoiding recognition, camouflage is considered a form of identity illusion and controlling the user’s perception of a space. One of the greatest examples of defensive camouflage was introduced in World War I by a new division in the British Navy – dazzle camouflage. Ships of all types of scales were ceaselessly hunted by the German U-Boats, eliminating a fifth of British merchant ships and for ten months in 1917, the German navy was so efficient that they were destroying at a rate of 23
ships per week. The Dazzle section of the British Navy was charged to camouflage ships; Norman Wilkinson, the head of the department described that the invention of dazzle would be more of a tactic “to hide the vessel’s intention” instead of camouflaging. It is designed to thwart and confuse the gunman or observers, challenging what they understand as reality.6 These tactics have been reflected into the fashion industry, with a rise in anti-facial recognition makeup and clothing. CV Dazzle by Adam Harvey designs fashion looks that disrupt computer recognition via surveillance cameras. Tactics like obscuring an eye and the nose bridge, using contrasting colors, and an emphasis on asymmetry will make the individual incalculable to the computer systems.7 Liam Young’s Where the City Can’t See cinematic project visualizes a future, very close to reality, where smart cars can only
16_dazzle fashion
17_dazzle fashion
process so much information and that humans will always find a loophole to exist unseen. In this case, the technology cannot process or categorize the humans that disrupt the preprogrammed algorithms and thus the vandals operate unseen from security.8 What does a dazzle architecture look like? Does it operate in a way that is undetected by the human eye or the surveillance eye? And who are we hiding from? Dazzle architecture offers itself as a refuge from societal scrutiny and governmental justice.
03 ALLIES
LITERARY Situation Normal... Vandalism as a Productive Force The Burglar’s Guide to the City Manhattan Transcripts [a] Who’s Watching? Predictive Crime Mapping FILM Ocean’s Eleven franchise [b] The Sting Baby Driver Inside Man To Catch a Thief
ARTIST James Turrel [c] Liam Young Giovanni Battista Piranesi M.C. Escher Echochrome Felice Varini Georges Rousse Norman Wilkinson - dazzle camouflage SPATIAL Ames Room [d] Diller Scofidio Brasserie Teatro Olympico Vicenza the Panopticon
20_Ames Room
19_James Turrel
05_Ocean’s Eleven
18_Manhattan Transcripts
THE MANHATTAN TRANSCRIPTS
“The Transcripts also propose different readings of spatial function; they suggest that the definition of architecture may lie at the intersection of logic and pain, rationality and anguish, concept and pleasure.� p 9, paragraph 3
Bernard Tschumi analyzes the spatial architecture involved in plotting and executing a murder in a public place; similarly, how would I analyze the spatialness of plotting a heist in various spaces or of people?
18_diagramming crime
VANDALISM AS A PRODUCTIVE FORCE
“gangs are functional in nature and generally hidden: under rugs or linoleum flooring, in closets, behind ovens and refrigerators...” “Drug gangs therefore set up an entrance to an aprtment in a building as an “official” entrance, which is broken down upon being reported to, or discovered by, the police.” “...they test it: they write graffiti in the hallways, wreak havoc on empty apartments, leave rubble behind and fill up bathtubs with garbage...know the building is either really empty, is not checked up on, or that the residents or owners aren’t concerned about it.”
Building can become a grounds for testing and exploration of spatial planning. Gangs become designers in fabricating entrances, scenarios, and pathways between apartments.
21_Banksy grafitti art demonstrating the programming of latent spaces
WHO’S WATCHING?
“The fact is, conduct most of us think of as private and anonymous is increasingly taking place under the electronic gaze of video surveillance cameras.” “A 1998 study conducted by the NYCLU identified 2,397 video surveillance cameras visible from street level in Manhattan. Seven years later nearly that same number of surveillance cameras was counted in just one area of lower Manhattan that comprises Greenwich Village and SoHo.” “In fact, no researcher has produced conclusive evidence that cameras deter crime.” “...upon entering a public space we forfeit our right to privacy.” Surveillance provides mental comfort that we are protected, that we have eyes on the outside who are ready to sound the alarm upon the sheer hint of trouble. These cameras are like snipers in a castle, yet these cameras can’t retaliate as those snipers could to the forthcoming enemy. The only purpose they serve is to convey the truth of the series of events.
04_interviewing Mr. Surveillance and what he’s seen
SITUATION NORMAL...
“...acronym snafu - a condensation of the phrase “situation normal all fucked up...” “...snafu refers to that moment when a deviation, latent in the system, occurs, subverting the intended outcome of the given system.” “By exacerbating the logic of the conventional, the presumably rational elicits the unexpectedly irrational latent in the everyday.” “If surrealism seeks to explore the more-real-than-real world behind the real, then surrationalism uses rationalism to test the boundaries of rationalism itself.”
How do we rationalize the irrational? Or what we conceive as irrational? It is when we become comfortable with questioning and inhabiting things with alternate purposes then we become better users of the space.
17_Liam Young’s Where the City Can’t See
DILLER SCOFIDIO | BRASSERIE
Diller Scofidio reimagined the social aspect of a high-end restaurant by ruining the guest’s grand entrance. Located in the Seagram Building in New York City, a city where the eyes of humans and computers and people behind those computers are always trained on the masses. In a ritzy eating experience, one wants to be seen and own their entrance. However, Diller Scofidio deny this opportunity by incorporating a public plasma monitor above the bar that displays security footage of the entrance; therefore, your first entrance into the restaurant is before you have even entered or seen those as part of the restaurant. Furthermore, the Brasserie is sublevel in the Seagram building, with no windows or visual connection to the street. These two qualities represent aspirations of latent spaces in satirizing surveillance culture and remaining somewhat anonymous, secluded, and site of an underground rebellious culture.
22_Brasserie
AMES ROOM
A concept promoted initially by a German scientist Hermann von Helmholtz to warp a building into forcing perspectives. Inspired by the German concept, Adelbert Ames, Jr. physically built the first Ames Room. The trick to this space is that the person to the right is forward and elevated with a lower ceiling height while the person to the left is farthest away and lowered and has a higher ceiling. This is installation represents how spaces can be misleading on their own accord and how designers can create spaces that forge distrust in reality.
20_demonstration of the power of forced perspective
GANZFELD
“Ganzfeld” is the German word for “total loss of depth perception” but also the title for James Turrell’s exhibit. Turrell performed a series of exhibits titled “Ganzfeld”, channeling the loss of perception as seen in a white-out. Sight is warped, location is obsure, and all the visitor knows is the color. This exhibit is helpful to reference in methods of altering perception in unusual ways.
19_total loss of perception
04 METHODOLOGY
My investigations were varied and considered assorted ways to study latency and criminal activities. I began with organizing my thoughts with trying to find the commonalities between “the art of thievery”, “optical illusions”, and “surveillance”. Furthermore, it was necessary to determine what types of crime I was interested in [organized and property] and conducted a similar exercise as the one before. Once the terminology of the framework was set at the beginning of the semester, the next step was to look at cinematic representation of criminology, especially complicated heists and cons. Inspired by the illustration and clarity of cinema, I wanted to perform a criminal profile, assemble a team of spatial misappropriates, a spatial timeline of criminal methods, and a foiled criminal act. These studies informed an attitude about the project, one of mischievousness. The next moves were to collage to alter perception and camouflage reality. The first was inspired by the dazzle camouflage research, and in part was successful because the true entry to the townhome cannot be determined due to the overlay. Next, the urban setting of New York was juxtaposed with a suburban neighborhood; this was a strategy to see how common elements we see in each setting can be merged and would the perception be altered or would our minds and eyes accept what
we are seeing? Lastly, upon spending time playing Monument Valley, a game app that is an illustrated three-dimensional maze, I wanted to challenge the urban landscape with forcing perception and perspective and questioning the elevation of ground planes and where they can join. Selecting an urban setting to work in will be a key player in determining the outcome. It may be a fabricated fiction, it may be a panel of three international metropolises with universal latency typologies, or a deep investigation of a singular existing location. For the study, Detroit, Michigan was explored for its extreme neighborhood blight and latency. The series of four diagrams look at the existing latent spaces in the neighborhood conditions of Detroit overlaid with identified property altercations from the previous week [November 30 – December 7]. Lastly, upon researching about Antwerp, Belgium due to the study by Maarten Inghels, I reinterpreted his evidence to emphasize the path’s route and the nesting of surveillance systems in its path. As a counterpart, I imagined how surveillance could be represented in the urban setting and illustrated the invisible path by more opacity and the visible path by denser color.
23_trying to understand the identity [of latentcy]
the art of thievery
optical illusions
surveillance
all-seeing analysis camoauge charade clear steps confusion deceive depth perception disassociated dizzying ensnare execution eye facial recognition fraud ganzfeld inspection lookout mazes passive patterning perception phased out pigeons pillage supervision virtual reality unseen
pornography prostitution
NYCPD prostitution ring
groups providing goods/services embezzlement
pablo escobar
woodruff arts center
sujata sachdeva
bernie madoff fraud
white-collar
al capone
frank abagnale jr.
property
professional
charlie ponzi
the pink panthers
bill mason
amateur
street gangs
children
homicide
manslaughter second murder first violent assisted crimes
violent
types of crimes
organized
gambling
consensual
Aurora Avenue, Seattle
m01 seagram fiction
graffitist skater child
criminal protester
BASECAMP
DANIEL “DANNY” OCEAN Born: April 23, 1970 Married: Tessa Ocean Accomplices: Rusty Ryan, Saul Bloom, Reuben Tiskoff, Turk Malloy, Virgin Malloy, Frank Caton, Livingston Dell, Basher Tarr, “The Amazing” Yen, Linus Caldwell Past Crimes: stole Incan matrimonial masks, felony fraud, [12] conspiracy to fraud Current Case: rob the MGM Grand, The Bellagio, and the Mirage Resort Casinos joint vault. These casinos are owned by Terry Benedict, who is involved with Ocean’s wife.
MIRAGE RESORTS
the BELLAGIO
MGM GRAND
01
02
02
03
03
04
04
06
07
06
TIMELINE OF EVENTS 01 | ASSEMBLE TEAM AND BRIEF ON PROJECT 02 | BEGIN INVESTIGATION OF ENTRIES AND SECURITY 03 | PRACTICE INFILTRATION 04 | CRAFT MOCKUP OF TARGET TO PRACTICE 05 | ESCAPE TO EXECUTE THE MISSION 06 | INFILTRATION FROM INSIDE VAULT - IMPOSSIBLE SPACES 07 | LEAVE IN UNEXPECTED METHOD - ESPECIALLY VISUAL HERE NOTES: required complete spatial understanding in order to undermine the most high quality security the nation offers. acted as unsuspecting characters when visiting the casino to understand it as completely as possible. it is necessary to see opportunities in everything: a tray, sewer system, elevator shaft, mechanical space, etc. PREP - STUDY - PRACTICE - ACT - COMPOSURE
05_Ocean’s Eleven 05
05
24_dazzle architecture
25_perception collage
26_Monument Valley maze game
DETROIT CRIME REPORTS & BLIGHTED SPACES Reported burglary incidents from November 30, 2018 to December 7, 2018. Downtown Detroit is illustrated with the border. Circles indicate reported burglaries, with larger circles indicating multiple altercations. The urban framework illustrated represents the blighted sights in the neighborhood setting.
DETROIT CRIME REPORTS & BLIGHTED SPACES Reported burglary incidents from November 30, 2018 to December 7, 2018. Downtown Detroit is illustrated with the border. Circles indicate reported fraud felonies, with larger circles indicating multiple altercations. The urban framework illustrated represents the blighted sights in the neighborhood setting.
DETROIT CRIME REPORTS & BLIGHTED SPACES Reported burglary incidents from November 30, 2018 to December 7, 2018. Downtown Detroit is illustrated with the border. Circles indicate reported property damage, with larger circles indicating multiple altercations. The urban framework illustrated represents the blighted sights in the neighborhood setting.
DETROIT CRIME REPORTS & BLIGHTED SPACES Reported property incidents from November 30, 2018 to December 7, 2018. Downtown Detroit is illustrated with the border. Circles indicate reported fraud felony, property damage, and burglaries, with larger circles indicating multiple altercations. The result illustrates how certain fabrics and zones of an urban framework encourage criminal behavior or spatial misappropriation.
invisible path
under superveillance
Antwerp, Belgium
surveillance camera
invisible path
05 SITE
The site constitutes of latent spaces within the urban fabric that may be identified as places that grow empty and dark with time, influenced by its type of spatiality, or the characteristics of inhabitants or lack thereof. Site is located wherever there is spatial misappropriation. High walls, alleyways, the space under bridges, leftovers of a forgotten infrastructure, overgrown cemeteries, abandoned warehouses, etc. The site is flux according to the habits of the user and the user demographic. As artists moved to the empty skeletons of urbanism, they repopulate it and make it a vibrant community - then the everyday person desires to live in this unique community and pays top dollar to live here, pushing the artist out. When the artist leaves, does spatial misappropriation leave? Or has it just begun? The site may have a timeline to consider. CONSIDERATIONS How does the carefully drawn urban
organization of the grid facilitate or hinder the manifestation of unwarranted behaviors? if you wander long enough, the monotonous boulevards, wide sidewalks, stony and towering facades simulate a labyrinth, equal to the works of Daedalus. This labyrinth presents itself as a terrifying beast where one could be lost for days within its belly; it also could be thought of as an opportunity for disappearing in a flash and using the beast to your advantage. What materials constitute confidence in the safety of a space? Some may equate wood siding to cheap and unreliable. Others may see it as natural and sturdy. the immediate reactions to these materials derives emotions about a space and a relative spectrum for comfort. What spaces are similar across the city? The state - the country - the world? Identify a species of latent spaces and completely document it for the purpose of scientific investigaation. List its characteristics, its lifespan, its related species, its reproductive cycle.
E. Ott; Venice, Italy
06 PROPOSAL The intent of this study is to document and expose a database of latency typologies within an urban fabric by means of investigating elements of spatial misappropriation, surveillance, camouflage, and perception by way of the criminal lens. One should maintain the character of latent spaces, i.e. the freedom and invisibility it has from authority. Society needs unsupervised expressive spaces for those who are spatial vandals to manipulate and experiment but also for those looking for refuge. METHODS of [future] INV ESTIGATION [1] Latency is a flux space and should be treated as such. Program for the space may not be uniform for the entire year or even day-to-day. Categorize different latency typologies by its temporal, spatial, and user qualities. This will set the groundwork as a thorough understanding of the latency typology. These may be represented by collage, axonometric, photography + artifact collection, etc. [2] Like [1], it is necessary to fully understand the nature of spatial misappropriation. Diagram the different typologies of these activities. What are their paths? Who are the players? What appeals to them and what props do they use? [3] A film or series of films will be generated as part of the artifacts with special focus
on spatial misappropriation, perception, camouflage, surveillance as well as the differences between temporal, spatial, and user qualities. [4] A continuation of mapping latent spaces and understanding the city by its vacancy will help inform the nature of the final product. [5] Lastly, what qualities produce latency? Produce an informative piece that shows the signs of an urbanism that is growing latent and ways to prevent, accept, or project its occurrence. + timeline of defensive architecture + calling out intentional intrusion + mapping the city of “public� spaces + collection of evidence of charade + collection of evidence of simulated landscapes + color theory study + timeline of crimes and security tactics + burglar kit of parts CONCLUSION: The project shall produce work that aims to understand why latency exists, the stigmas surrounding the conditions of it, and how we can use the space and/or the characteristics of these spaces to inform a network of architecture.
27_G. Piranesi; The Drawbridge
06 REFLECTION
The trajectory of this project is going in a manner that excites me and promises a marriage of my interests in crime and architecture.
The strengths of this proposal are the sources and allies to the argument and the clarity of the qualities that are interesting of the latent urbanism.
The work is needed to be supplemented by investigation into unseen crimes, i.e. identity theft, hacking, and other technological vandalism. This is a consideration that needs to be followed as it could enrich the idea of spatial misappropriation and offers the avenue for a digital investigation.
Some immediate reactions that could manifest as projects include: an underground network of latent spaces for refugees, convicts, political enemies, runaways, etc., a manifestation of dazzle architecture [a new typology], a new installation into urban infrastructure that is free from law and reveals itself in the smallest circumstances, designing a crime and the building, creating a new typology of building where it is latent, etc.
Additionally, the methods of working need to be refined and revisited frequently to understand if the ways suggested are sufficient or too broad to garner a rich project. Lastly, I would advise to continue searching for architectural precedents, as theoretical and literary precedents are abundant and wonderful, but physical manifestations of concepts that are being studied are needed and would help inform the proposal further.
28_P. Almasy
07 APPENDIX
CONTENT_LITERARY 1. Manaugh, Geoff. “A Burglar’s Guide to the City.” Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2016. 2. Lewis, David J. , Paul Lewis, and Mark Tsurumaki. “Situation Normal….” edited by Pamphlet Architecture. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1998. 3. Zinganel, Michael. “Vandalism as a Productive Force.” Shrinking Cities, 2004, 7. 4. “Ames Room.” Ohio River - New World Encyclopedia. March 14, 2016. Accessed December 11, 2018. http:// www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ames_room. 5. Turrell, James. “Ganzfelds.” James Turrell. 2018. Accessed December 11, 2018. http://jamesturrell.com/work/ type/ganzfeld/. 6. Siegel, Loren, Robert A. Perry, and Margaret Hung Gram. “Video Camera Surveillance in New York City and the Need for Public Oversight.” In Who’s Watching?, edited by Donna Lieberman, 24. NYCLU: New York Civil Liberties Union, 2006. 7. McRobbie, Linda Rodriguez. “When the British Wanted to Camouflage Their Warships, They Made Them Dazzle.” Smithsonian.com. April 07, 2016. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/ history/when-british-wanted-camouflage-their-warships-they-made-them-dazzle-180958657/. 8. Harvey, Adam. “Camouflage from Face Detection.” CV Dazzle: Camouflage from Face Detection. 2017. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://cvdazzle.com/. 9. Young, Liam. “WHERE THE CITY CAN’T SEE TEASER.” Vimeo, 5 Nov. 2018, vimeo.com/188626212. 10. Tschumi, Bernard. “The Manhattan Transcripts.” edited by Art Museum of Modern. London : New York, NY: London : Academy Editions ; New York, NY : Distributed to the trade in the USA by St. Martin’s Press, 1994. 11. “Brasserie.” DS R. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://dsrny.com/project/brasserie.
CONTENT_IMAGE
Pictures, 2006.
1. Krajnak, Mark. Bitter Little Words. JerseyStyle Photography. Allentown, NJ. Photo Noir. Accessed November 1, 2018. https://photoplacegallery.com/ online-juried-shows/photo-noir/.
8. To Catch a Thief. Alfred Hitchcock. United States: Paramount Pictures, 1955.
2. Petitjean, Marc. Conical Intersection. Gordon Matta-Clark. Paris, France. Jeu De Paume. Accessed December 8, 2018. http://www.jeudepaume.org/ index.php?page=article&idArt=3005 3. Sabrie, Gilles. A video showing facial recognition software in use at the headquarters of the artificial intelligence company Megvii in Beijing. The New York Times. Beijing, China. Inside China’s Dystopian Dreams: A.I., Shame and Lots of Cameras. Accessed November 1, 2018. https://www.nytimes. com/2018/07/08/business/china-surveillance-technology.html. 4. Hickey, George. Camerahead Project. ACLU Washington. Seattle, WA. Camerahead Project. Accessed December 8, 2018. https://www.aclu-wa.org/gallery/ camerahead-project. 5. Ocean’s Eleven. Steven Soderbergh. United States: Warner Brothers, 2001. 6. The Sting. George Roy Hill. United States: Zanuck/ Brown Productions, Universal Pictures, 1973. 7. Inside Man. Spike Lee. United States: Universal
9. Baby Driver. Edgar Wright. United States: TriStar Pictures, 2017. 10. Vertigo. Alfred Hitchcock. United States: Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions, 1958. 11. Unknown. Photographs of Hitchcock (or rather, a dummy of Hitchcock) floating down the River Thames, used for the Frenzy trailer. The Story of ‘Frenzy’. London, England. ‘Frenzy’: Hitchcock’s Return to Perfection in His Penultimate Film. Accessed December 8, 2018. https://cinephiliabeyond.org/frenzy-hitchcocks-return-perfection-penultimate-film/. 12. Unknown. Untitled. Dali Painted what he Saw, Not just what he Dreamed! Vicenza, Italy. The Salvador Dali Society. Accessed October 12, 2018. http://www. dali.com/dali-painted-saw-not-just-dreamed/. 13. Morin, Andre. Orangerie du chateau de Versailles. Gwarlingo. Unknown Location. The Illusionist: The Mind-Bending Installations of Artist Felice Varini. Accessed October 6, 2018. https://www.gwarlingo. com/2012/optical-illusions-of-felice-varini/. 14. Bentham, Jeremy. “Panopticon”. The works of Jeremy Bentham Vol. IV. 172-3.
CONTENT_IMAGE 15. Unknown. photograph of the USS West Mahomet in dazzle camouflage, 1918. US Naval Historical and Heritage Command, NH 1733. Unknown Location. Razzle Dazzle. Accessed October 6, 2018. https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/ episode-65-razzle-dazzle/. 16. Harvey, Adam. Look No. 5(b). Look No. 2. Look + 1. Camouflage from face detection. N/A. CVDazzle. Accessed October 6, 2018. https://cvdazzle.com. 17. Specular. Film In Production: LIDAR Camouflage Textiles from “Where The City Can’t See”. Liam Young. Unknown Location. TomorrowsThoughtsToday. Accessed October 12, 2018. http://www.tomorrowsthoughtstoday.com. 18. Tschumi, Bernard. “The Manhattan Transcripts.” edited by Art Museum of Modern. London : New York, NY: London : Academy Editions ; New York, NY : Distributed to the trade in the USA by St. Martin’s Press, 1994. 19. Turrell, James. “Ganzfelds.” James Turrell. 2018. Accessed December 11, 2018. http://jamesturrell. com/work/type/ganzfeld/. 20. Unknown. Notice how the position of their feet reveals that they’re actually standing on a sloping floor. Oikofuge. 9 August 2017. Perspective Tricks. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://oikofuge.com/ perspective-tricks/ 21. Banksy. Don’t Forget Your Scarf - Bristol. Banksy Versus Bristol Museum. Bristol, England. Canvas Art Rocks. Accessed October 12, 2018. https://www.
canvasartrocks.com/blogs/posts/70529347-121amazing-banksy-graffiti-artworks-with-locations 22. “Brasserie.” DS R. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://dsrny.com/project/brasserie. 23. Lang, Fritz. Untitled.M.1931. Fritz Lang’s M: the blueprint for the serial killer movie. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/ news-bfi/features/fritz-langs-m-blueprint-serial-killermovie. 24. Abbott, Berenice. Minetta Street, 1935. NYPL, New York City. Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Accessed October 6, 2018. https:// gvshp.org/blog/2014/04/07/berenice-abbott-andthe-legacy-of-the-new-deal/. 25. Gucwa, Vivienne. Looking through the arches of the Municipal Building. NY through the Lens, Instagram, New York City. Accessed October 6, 2018. http://nythroughthelens.com/post/29281559427/ looking-through-the-arches-of-the-municipal. 26. Wong, Ken. Untitled. Monument Valley Game. N/A. Accessed October 12, 2018. https://www. monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 27. Piranesi, Giovanni Battista. The Drawbridge. 1720-1778. Imaginary Prisons, Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton. Accessed December 8, 2018. https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/object-package/ giovanni-battista-piranesi-imaginary-prisons/3640 28. Almasy, Paul. Untitled. N/A. My Modern Met, Paris. Accessed December 8, 2018. https://mymodernmet.com/paul-almasy-paris/.
13.12.2018
ELIZABETH OTT