In search of a Formula... An investigation into the smoothing of a post traumatic city by Khedidja Benniche

IN SEARCH OF A FORMULAâ&#x20AC;¦ AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SMOOTHING OF A POST-TRAUMATIC CITY. An Autopsy By Khedidja Benniche

Formula:

A method or procedure for achieving something (Smoothing)

Autopsy: Noun; A post-mortem examination to discover the cause of (Smooth space) Verb; Perform a post-mortem examination on (Smooth space) see â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;post-mortemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Post-Mortem Study:

A type of research, which provides information to researchers and individuals who will have to make decisions in the future (Architects, Urban Planners)

“What interests us in the operations of striation and smoothing are precisely the passages or combinations: how the forces at work within space continually striate it, and how the course of striation develops other forces and emits new smooth spaces. Even the most striated city gives rise to smooth space.” (Deleuze and Guattari 1980: 474) What is the nature of these ‘other forces’ involved in the production of a smooth space? Is there a set combination? A specific formula of smoothing, which can be applied to the post-traumatic city?

Contents

Introduction:

Theoretical Background: Smooth space Terrain Vague Appropriation of Space Post-traumatic Urbanism Culture as an Antidote

Case Studies: Continuation of a free space Berlin, Algiers Culture as an antidote Beirut, Barcelona

Conclusion

Bibliography

Analytical Framework: Fearlessness/resilience Re-appropriation of space Culture as a dialogue Cultivation of a space

Introduction

Figure 1: A ‘debris-strewn’ standstill We venture into the cool shade of the Casbah’s alleyways, the air is still, there are little signs of life other than the movements of my fellow companions, our guide explains its Friday, Jumuaa, the holy day, the morning is spent in preparation for the Friday prayer, hence the calm. Though its been lifeless for quite some time now he goes on to explain, what with all the troubles, its not the same as it was. I am aware of what he is referring to; this is my second visit to the Casbah. The town’s name is synonymous with the word danger, once known, as the home of the revolution and independence soon became the home of terror, despite it being over a decade since the end of the feud, the reputation stands fast. As we travel on, heading down the stepped paths, towards the sea, we pass a number of ruins; buildings left as they are from the many years of war, and neglect. New voids have opened up, disrupting the density pattern of the labyrinth like citadel. The result is a feeling of unease; most remain as anti-spaces, collecting rubbish, perfect outlines of plans scar the urban carpet, a reminder that homes once stood here. Personal account of a visit to the Casbah

Is this to be the consequence of the Casbah? What has often been described as the ‘heart of the city’ has come to a debris-strewn standstill. Decades of war, neglect and decay, have taken affect. The Casbah is an exemplification of the post-traumatic city. Ruins and punctured voids remain as ‘terrain vague’, a ‘striated city’. The Algerian War of Independence (1954 -1962) was the trigger of the decolonisation of Algiers, though the city was to undergo many more years of turmoil during the civil war of the 90’s (19912002). A decade of bloodshed rendered the city in a post-traumatic state of fear and suspicion. The atmosphere was that of a hostile nature. Coming from decades of colonial suffocation only to be followed by a bloody civil war, a state of unrest for so long, only causes for the pursuit of stability, and once found the people aren’t so easily ready to relinquish this moment of calm, this smooth space, in the political sense “the grinding years of violence have left many Algerians with a hunger for stability that might outweigh their appetite for immediate change.”(Nehal, Macer, 2011) The master planning of Algiers has taken many years to reach fruition, due to the political and social instability of its past. As the development progresses, the restoration of the Casbah has come under scrutiny once more. Algiers is a city forecast to increase its population in 2025 by 30% (Economist Online, 2010), how can the restoration process maintain its cultural heritage and identity, in the face of rapid urbanization? This raises many questions, which evolve around restoring historical city centers; what is the balance between remembering the past, and progress? How does a city sustain its authenticity and locality in a growing touristic environment? The aim of this study will be to examine the journey of particular places undertaken by cities that have undergone a period of trauma, in order to reach a ‘smooth space’. Is there a formula? If so, what are the components of this formula? I will investigate the role of the ‘forces’ at play in the operation for a smooth space through the use of pilot studies. I have selected to analyse the journeys undertaken in the cities of Berlin, Beirut and Barcelona. I will be comparing the strategies applied to each city from a striated point in their history and explore how these strategies performed in each contextual situation, in particularly the role of culture as a catalyst in each city. Berlin and Beirut have endured a series of wars and distress, Berlin offers a broad spectrum as it shows many stages in the process of smoothing. I have chosen Beirut due to its similarity contextually to Algiers, both cities endured colonial rule and civil war, they are related geographically and culturally as both are situated within the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). Barcelona will allow for an understanding in the strategical implementation of culture to a city. Without the connotations of war, this juxtaposes with the other two studies, this should provide for a greater understanding in the role of a platform for a comprehensive analysis into the forces at play in the process of smoothing.

To develop this platform, I will formulate a theoretical background on the necessary themes and concepts involved within the smoothing of a post-traumatic city. Firstly I must gain an understanding on the works of Deleuze and Guattari what is a smooth space? How does it work in relation to the striated city? The next step will be to understand the contextual situation from which the smoothing process takes place. What consists of a post-traumatic city? How does one ‘appropriate’ a ‘terrain vague’? In order to understand theses concepts I shall look at the work of Ignasi de Sola Morales on ‘Terrain Vague’ and Henri Lefebvre on ‘appropriation’ in ‘The Production of Space’. I shall also investigate the term ‘Post-Traumatic Urbanism’ a guest-edited edition of Architectural Design by Adrian Lahoud, Charles Rice and Anthony Burke. Finally I shall explore the term ‘culture’, how does culture work within the urban context, and as a tool for the smoothing process. I would like to stress, it is not the aim of this research to produce the answers for the issues raised, merely to bring to light the factors one should consider in the process of achieving a smooth space, in this case during the restoration of the Casbah of Algiers.

Theoretical Background

The aim of this chapter is to higlight the themes from several authors and practioners that relate to the relevance of my dissertaion question. Deleuze and Guattari 1440: The Smooth and The Striated In a thousand plateaus, Deleuze and Guattari use a number of models in order to disect the relativity of smooth and striated space and the passages between them. There is a reminder that the two spaces only exsist in mixture, ‘smooth space is constantly being translated, transversed into a striated space; striated space is constantly being reversed , returned to a smooth space’ (Deleuze and Guattari, 1980, p.524) In the Technological Model smooth space is likened to a patchwork quilt. It is described as being an ‘amorphous, non formal space’ (p.526) The example of the patchwork is to demostrate that ‘smooth’ does not mean homogenous, in contrast to striated which does. We gain a better understanding of what makes a smooth space in the Maritime Model; ‘a space constructed by local operations’ It is ‘haptic’. The term haptic origins from the Greek term haptikos ‘able to touch or grasp’ (Oxford online dictionaries). The tactility of smooth space relates to the locality, the notion of familiarity within a space. Smooth is also a space occupied with intensities and events. This correlates to the heterogenous nature of the space, by playing host to temporal forces, this creates a diversity in the space. Striated space also plays host to events though the difference between the two is the method in which the events take place, smooth space is unplanned and informal whereas striated is the juxtaposition, being homogenous and planned. Deleuze and Guattari describe the city as a ‘force of striation that reimparts smooth space’ this highlights the constant evolution between the two spaces, smooth is a ‘counterattack… turning back against the town’ this is apparent worldwide with the growth of informal cities on the outskirts of formally developed cities Themes: Events, Homogenous vs. Heterogenous Ignasi de Sola Morales Terrain Vague Sola-Morales relates the term according to its understanding in the French language, ‘terrain’ carries an urban quality whereas in English, it carries a more geological perspective, its specified as an area of ground suitable for construction. ‘Vague’ contains two Latin roots; ‘Vacuus’, which translates to ‘vacant’ in English, something empty or unoccupied. ‘Vagus’ relates to the notion of uncertainty, ‘vague’ in English. Thus we place the terms together, we have an unoccupied space, a void, which is uncertain in its characterisation. Here it is important to note that Sola-Morales also referred to the Germanic route of the term; ‘Vagrwogue’ the swell of the sea, this carries connotations of movement, both oscillation and flunctuation. Sola-Morales portrays these ‘terrain vague’ as ‘interior islands voided of activity’, yet he insists on the value of their state of ruin and unproductive nature, it is only in this undefined state there is oppurtunity for these ‘terrains’ to ‘manifest themselves as spaces of freedom’. Sola-Morales proposes the question ‘How can architecture act in the terrain vague without becoming an aggressive instrument of power and abstract reason?’ to which he replies ‘Undoubtedly, through attentive concern with continuity.’ The stress on continuity relates to the Germanaic root ‘Vagrwogue’ for it correlates with the notion of movement and oscillation, this would sustain the values of ‘terrain vague’ that SolaMorales emphasies.(1996) Themes: Continuity, Oscillation

Henri Lefebvre The Production of Space: Appropriation Ther term ‘appropriation’ originates from the Latin appropriare ‘to make ones own’ (Oxford online dictionaries), it is the act of appropriating space that Lefebvre explores in his text, there are many comparisions, ‘dominated’ and ‘appropriated’ space, which only work in accordance with each other similarly to smooth and straied. Lefebvre notes another comparison when disscussing ‘appropriation’ with the similarity of The Situationists concept of ‘detournement’ although related there is a distinction between the two. ‘Detournement’ relates to the diversion of a space. When the original purpose or identity of a space is no longer relevant, thus becoming unoccupied it is questionable to being put to a different use, diverted, or re-apropraited. The notion of detournement is often related to pre-exsisting structures, whereas Lefebvre’s understanding is to restore it to its beginnings in ‘unitary urbanism’ (Wolman,J,G, 1956); an urban practice on the synthesis of art and technology. The importance of ‘diversion’ and ‘re-appropriation’ of a space is in learning from the new spaces produced. How can one ensure the production of a space as opposed to a ‘re-appropriated’ space? Though it is important to comment upon Lefebvre’s thoughts that perhaps techniques of diversion have more significance than efforts at creation (production). (Lefebvre, 1974 p.167-8) Themes: Domination, Production vs Re-appropriation,

Adrain Lahoud Post-Traumatic Urbanism In this issue of Architectural Design, Lahoud coins the term Post-Traumatic Urbanism. What are the demands that arise from placing the terms ‘post-traumatic’ and ‘urbanism’ alongside each other? The term post-traumatic refers to ‘the evidence of the aftermath- the remains of an event that are missing. The spaces around this blind spot record the impression of the event like a scar’ (Adrian Lahoud, 2010, p.19) The ability to recover from a traumatic situation may be defined as resilient, however, to recover is never a simple return to the way things were before. The resilient nature of a system has to form new and creative passages to reach a state of stability. Lahoud stresses the importance of continuity in the recovery process, resilience ‘leaps over interruption, it carries with it the continuity of a historical charge that lends its adaptive strength’ (Adrian Lahoud, 2010, p.19) We now come to place the term ‘Urbanism’, synonymous with the words development and growth, alongside ‘post-traumatic’, in order to understand these demands. Lahoud states the new demands on urbanism will need to be focused on optimism, adaptation and the resilient nature of future designs. A resilient city ‘has evolved in an unstable environment and developed adaptations to deal with uncertainty’. The adaptations allow for ‘slack’ in its systems, this implies the flexibility of the design discourse required, in order to deal with the fluctuating nature of a conext, the design will have to correlate similarly to Sola-Morales proposal on the continuation of the ever process of terrain vague. The issue explores many branches of post-traumatic urbanism, one article in particular called ‘On Speculative Architecture’ by Samatha Spurr, states projects to take place in the aftermath of trauma demand two things: ‘fearlessness and sensitivity’ (Samantha Spurr, 2010, p.52) to be fearless is to be exposed to risk, to be sensitive is to be both receptive and responsive. Themes: Resilience, Continuity, Receptive+Responsive

Culture as an Antidote The freedom to “pass quickly and easily from one moral milieu to another… of living at the same time in several different continuous, but otherwise totally seperated worlds” (Park (1934c) 1955:298) ‘Park saw culture as an antidote to those features of urban civilization’ (Ballis Lal, 1941, p.12) Even without the legacy of war to contend with, cities are notoriously hostile environments. Master planning tends towards a top down approach, prioritising the functionality, ‘the rational organisation of movement from A to B’ (Young, Ditte Bendax, 2012). How does the role of Culture act as an antidote to these urban topics? Does culture maintain the same strategy despite the varying contexts? To understand this, one must firstly define what form of culture I am investigating, as it is widely used across many subject matters, I am specifically examining the application of culture within the urban context. Today, art and ‘culture’ have become key drivers in the progressive adaptation of cities and neighbourhoods, the range in this spectrum, evolve from local artists interventions and small-scale gentrification to what is coined the ‘Bilbao effect’- Frank Gehry’s design for the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao lead to an increased influx of architecture tourism, in which the building itself becomes the attraction. Cities across the globe are creating ‘cultural quarters’ in a bid to improve the quality of urban life as well as the economic benefits. Matthias Sauerbruch, curator of the ‘Culture:City’ exhibition in Berlin, believes culture ‘manifests itself in the values by which we live our lives and the forms- the things and patterns – that surrounds us’ (Sauerbruch, 2013) it is committed to the ‘further development and on-going accomplishments of civilization’. Culture as tool is synonymous with progress and is often seen as a positive manifestation in the urban context, though it’s not without side effects, the commercialisation and capitalisation of cultural space is an increasing occurrence. Sauerbruch uses the example of Venice where he explains ‘Culture is no longer allowed to develop – culture is manufactured’ culture is used as a ‘marketing device’ for the 20 odd million visitors every year; an experience which expires post-consumption. Though Venice is an extreme case, but this is an escalating situation occurring across many European cities, an increase in mobility and technology have begun to distort the boundary lines of each city. This could be considered heading towards a striated space, due to the homogenous nature. In order to understand the strategic use of culture in the process of smoothing I shall limit my analysis according to the following paradigms: -Culture as dialogue; the ability to communicate through culture. -Verb: to cultivate; the maintaining of conditions suitable for growth using culture. Firstly how does culture provide a platform for dialogue and exchange? How may this occur in a post-traumatic context? Secondly, once this platform has been achieved how does one maintain it? Themes: Oscillation, gentrification, homogeneity, dialogue, cultivation From conducting this research I have gained an understanding into the relevant themes, which will structure the analysis of my case studies.

Analytical Framework

The research from my theoretical background has provided specific themes related to the smoothing process in order to create the framework for my analysis. Whilst conducting my research several correlations and tensions have risen to light across the themes that I shall comment upon. My analysis is framed within these following themes: continuity of a free space, resilience, (Re)appropriation of a space, culture as a dialogue and cultivation of a space. On Continuity of a free space: Firstly, the relation between Deleuze and Guattari’s portrayal of smooth space, with Sola-Morales terrain vague, offers an interesting concept of ‘terrain vague’ as a smooth space. The informality and lack of guidelines of a smooth space relates to the ambiguous nature of a ‘terrain vague’. The ‘freedom’ of the terrain vague is also a quality of smooth, Deleuze and Guattari use a ‘physical model’ to portray the relation of smooth and striated, where ‘free action’ occurs in smooth space and ‘work’ in a striated. Sola-Morales insistence upon the continuity to maintain the ‘freedom’ of the space can be achieved through the nature of the programme, which then occupies the space. If striated is work, the perhaps smooth is play. The maintenance of the fluctuating values of a ‘terrain vague’ will also allow for a heterogeneous space, for the fluctuations refer to the notion of change, it carries a space-time reference, a temporal quality, which dissuades any homogenous qualities. ‘Smooth space is filled by events’. (Deleuze and Guattari, 1980, p. 158) It is essential to mention here the role of the ruin in the context of the terrain vague, the commonplace for these terrain vague is within the post industrial context, though in the case of the Casbah, they are framed with ruins of buildings which have fallen as consequence of war and neglect. There is the argument on the consequence of a ruin between two theorists; John Ruskin and Viollet le Duc. Ruskin believes the ruin should be left as it is, which would lend well to the idea of heterogenity, as by preserving the ruin in its purest form, it is completely unique, le Duc’s notion of aesthetising would allow for a more homegenous nature as in the act of presevation and restoration based on aesthetics loses the individual quality of the ruin. The role of the ruin is an interesting concept which could be explored further with more research. (Re)Appropriation: The creation of a new space carries a resonance of permanance, despite the act of re-appropriation as merely a diversion, and not an act of production, it could work well within the context of ‘terrain vague’ the directional nature of re-appropiated space relates to the articulation smooth space in Deleuze and Guattari’s ‘maritime model’, which involves ‘changes in direction’ (Deleuze and Guattari, 1980, p.528). Another consideration in the act of appropriation, would be to avoid the act of ‘dominating’, which creates a ‘closed’ and ‘sterilised’ environment this would trigger the devolution of a striated space. As Algiers was a former colony, the re-appropriation of decolonised architecture is another intersting topic for further research as a possible extension of this dissertation. Eyal Weizmaan, member of the Decolonising Architecture Art Residency, discerns three approaches in dealing with decolonised architecture; destruction, re-occupation and subversion. It would be interesting to examine the relations of these approaches in accordance to smooth space. Resilience: Resilient architecture offers a form of continuity, both receptive and responsive in the adaptation during a crisis, this creates a temporal quality in its flexible nature. The adaptabilty of resilient architecture ensures its ability to change direction, similar to the act of diversion, as discussed in Lefebvre’s ‘Production of Space’ the qualities of a smooth space in the maritime model. 15

Culture: As a dialogue By using culture as a tool of communication, a means to trigger a dialogue between the user the legacy of a space, it offers an interactive environment in which each conversation is unique to the viewer and their own experience. This should deter from the process of homogenisation, thus striated space, as the personal interaction of these spaces creates a heterogeneous network. The collaboration of artist interventions with urban planners and authorities create the notion of a more informal, thus approachable space. A space in which one may converse with is a free space, a space open to expression. There is a tension apparent here in the continuity on the manifestation of terrain vague and gentrification. How does one maintain the qualities of a ‘free space’ culturally without the risk of commercialisation and homogenisation? To cultivate In order to maintain a smooth cultural environment, the notion of time is introduced. To cultivate is to nurture the development of the initial platform culture as a dialogue has produced. This process must be in keeping with the interstitial nature of the space. To cultivate a space is to fill it with events, by hosting events this activates the space continuously and creates a heterogeneous environment, which corresponds to the notion of a smooth space. Both paradigms of culture represent a notion of continuity, a process; there is a temporal quality in both strategies, which align with the ideals of a smooth space and the continuity of the oscillating values of terrain vague. There is another tension under scrutiny here regarding the cultural intervention of a city; the juxtaposition of process-based architecture, and architecture as an outcome. Libeskind’s Jewish Museum, the architectural concepts of the building involved the integration of the memory of the holocaust, into the urban fabric of Berlin. The building stands a memorial, a re-telling of events passed, but it remains as it was designed to be. Despite the narrative of the journey throughout the building, the experience stops as soon as you leave, and there it remains the same, static in its own entity. The implication here is not to disfavour the planned and the permanent against the temporal, but to aim for a combination, a formula of heterogeneous elements, which enhance the experiential notion of smooth space. Application to case studies: Through the analysis of my themes, there are two main tensions that have come through in the analytical framework, the tension between ‘terrain vague’ and gentrification, and cultivation as a process against architecture as an entity. The overlapping of the themes will allow for a more in-depth investigation into my case studies. Continuity of a Free Space The first Strategy I will examine in context is the Continuity of a free space. By studying the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the consequences of this event I shall investigate the themes of terrain vague, and the re-appropriation of this space. I will focus on the on the ‘no-mans land’ between the perimeter walls on Bernanauer Starsse, one of the more memorable sections of the Berlin Wall due to the number of escape attempts. How do the values of a terrain vague countinue in the re-appropriation of the negative space? Now there stands a memorial park, ‘Mauerpark’ with one of the longest remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. I shall also refer toa specific ‘terrain vague’ in the casbah, one of the more infamous voids situated at the foot of one the more memorable ruins. 16

Cultivation and Dialogue The next step I shall investigate, is the cultural strategy applied to within my selected case studies. How does the process of cultural gentrification differ according to context both geographically and historically? Due to the nature of the trauma, simple gestures carry a loaded meaning; it all represents the progress they have achieved, the resilience of their nature. How does culture perform as a dialogue, and how are the cultural spaces maintained?

Continuity of a Free Space

Figure 2: Mauerspechte/ The wall-peckers 19

Figure 3: Arial photograph of Mauerpark

Figure 4: Schwedter Street, previously hidden under the gravel of death strip, only to be uncovered during construction of the park. Mauerpark Only a few sections of the wall remain standing as a memorial in Berlin today. Bernauer Strasse is a street, which had the Wall running along its entire length. The road still carries the legacy of the wall today, markers represent where East Berliners tunnelled underground for their freedom. Where the ‘no-mans’ land once stood before is now the park, Mauerpark- ‘Wall Park’. Realized in 1993, the strip of land was used for recreational purposes almost immediately after the fall of the wall, through the initiative of the public. This activity was noted which led to a call out for entries to design the official programming of the space as a park. Gustav Lange, landscape architect of the winning entry for the competition, designed the plans for the initial configuration of the new park. Lange conceived the grounds of this ‘terrain vague’ as a place of freedom; his belief in ‘the right to a world that is not predetermined’ was translated into the built landscape. (Constanze A. Petrow, 2004, p.49)

Figure 5: A re-appropriated pitch

Algiers: A pitch amongst ruins The simple act of marking out goals on the wall in this ‘terrain vague,’ this re-appropriation, has changed the course of direction for this space, what was once a vacant plot is now a football pitch for the local residents. This act of resilience shows the ability to respond within a post-traumatic environment, similar in nature to the Berliners re-appropriation of ’death strip’ in Bernauer Strasse. It is often the subtlest acts that are the most successful when dealing with a sensitive context. By acquiescing to the public’s re-appropriation of the ‘death strip’ urban planners have played a role in the production of smooth space. The continuity of the freedom was maintained. There is a term for developing design strategies from the initiative of the public; ‘desire lines’ is the term coined for the creation of a new path, through public intervention. Urban planners and landscape designers have used to integrate within the overall plan of a city, By allowing the public to decide the paths they wish to follow it creates a sense of ownership, belonging, a claim to that space.

Culture as a Strategy

Figure 6: Proximity of El Raval to the port

Figure 7: The flexibility of use in the square of the MACBA 25

El Raval Barcelona The district of El Raval in Barcelona has recently undergone a culturally orientated process of gentrification. Previously, the neighbourhood was dominantly populated by immigrants due to the proximity of the port and the cheap rents on offer. This led to a number of illegitimate industries, namely prostitution and drug use. A series of cultural institutes such as the CCB, Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona and the MACBA- Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona have been implemented along with the opening up of squares. The patchwork nature of these interventions, can be compared to smooth space in the ‘technological model’ by Deleuze and Guattari, the new public squares framed with cultural institutes were intended for flexible use, through the lack of definition, this creates an ‘amorphous, non formal space’. The square in front of the MACBA in particular is populated with different users, the most prominent being the skateboarders. Though it is important to note here, as Deleuze and Guattari state how the spaces of smooth and striated only exist in mixture, for the popularity for skating has lead to a commercialisation of this activity, a tourist culture for skaters. Beirut The current reconstruction strategy of post-war Beirut is primarily economic, adopting a western trend of the assigning the full responsibility of redevelopment works to a real estate company ‘Solidere’. This top down approach, has led to western form of gentrification in a Middle Eastern context. There are several themes that could lead to further, research here: such as conflicted identity, and cultural hybridity. The new city centre offers typical amenities that can be found in countless other cities worldwide. This has simply caused a devolution from one striated space to another, due to the homogenous nature of this particular ‘cultural intervention’, commercialisation most often always transpires from a developers perspective, in a quest for economic stability, the other factors involved in the smoothing of a post traumatic city such as the social and spatial are often neglected. So what of the leftover spaces? Are the ‘terrain vague’ that have escaped Solidere’s shiny corporate polish to remain as they are as they do in the Casbah? This is where the role of the artist comes in; there is an emerging demography in the Middle East and North Africa, of non-profit artist organisations hosting interventions on the streets of Beirut involving the local community. The initiatives derive from students, and local artists, through the occupation of derelict spaces or street corners, the fragmented nature of the interventions create a patchwork, small pockets of heterogenic smooth space within the striated environment. A continuous theme that I have come across in my research of Berlin, Beirut and Barcelona is the use of events to maintain a smooth space. Berlin’s Mauerpark hosts a flea market every Sunday and celebrations on the anniversary of the fall of the wall. The MACBA is host to ‘Sonar by Day’ an international festival of Advanced Music and New Media Art. Hamra Street in downtown Beirut holds street festivals for a variety of occasions, the temporality of events highlight this relation between the constant fluctuation of smooth and striated space.

Nadim Karam: The Archaic Procession (1997- 2000) Author of ‘Urban Toys’, Nadim Karam’s firm Atelier Hapsitus, hold a philosophy on contemporary cities synonymous with the ideals of smooth space, ‘There is a need for emancipation for ephemeral accumulated actions in different zones within the city that try to break through the existing network an agitate its structure’ (Atelier Hapsitus) The concept of play really comes through in the fabled characters of the Archaic Procession, Deleuze and Guattari’s physical model on the ‘free action’ of smooth space in contrast to the ‘work’ nature of striated, likens the playful nature, the ‘emancipation’ of the installation to a smooth space. Theses themes also relate to the context of the Installation, Karam wanted to ‘draw people’s attention to the destroyed city center in an abstract and oblique way’ This was achieved through the continuous movement of the procession from the rooftops of the Riyadh El Solh square (phase 2) to the debris strewn Martyrs square (phase 3), The Archaic Procession stood in reminiscence of the fragmentation of the city as a whole. The smooth within the striated.

Figure 8: Map of Central Beirut depicting the journey of the Archaic Procession

Figure 9: Phases 1-3 in situ

Conclusion

There are many opinions in regards to the future of the Casbah, the purpose of this dissertation is to perform an ‘autopsy’, an investigation into the process of smoothing a post-traumatic city. Through highlighting the forces at play in this process, I have compiled the components of a ‘formula’ for smoothing that can be applied to the Casbah. By investigating into the journeys of three cities, there have been some debatable correlations and tensions that allow for a richer understanding into the themes. “Never believe that a smooth space will be enough to suffice us” (Deleueze and Guattari, 1980, P.551) Throughout the course of this dissertation, there has been one consistently significant theme, which is the notion of continuity. The importance of the act of a process as an outcome as opposed to a means to an end, this creates an adaptable, resilient design discourse. Once a smooth space is achieved, it will only be subject to forces of striation once more. It’s the act of smoothing as opposed to the quest for a smooth space that is required within the post-traumatic city. Cultural space, is not the answer, the City is a being, subject to constant striation and smoothing, the idea is to push the notion of culture as a dialogue and to cultivate, both models are actions, which can work in accordance to the fluctuating nature of the city, and the ‘terrain vague’ in this respect, as opposed to culture as an entity. Through this research, I have learnt of the organisation Archis; ‘An urban think tank devoted to the process of real-time spatial and cultural reflexivity and action’ (Archis, Amsterdam 2012) The projects they develop contain strong similarities with the conclusions of this research. The practice host interventions ‘RSVP’ events to initiate debate on spatial and cultural issues, the concept of real time is an important one as it works on a more level of locality which is fundamental within a post-traumatic context ‘Each situation is so specific that any intervention requires a detailed and enlightened understanding of all contextual factors’ (Ralf Brand, 2010) The next step for this research would be on a local level, a ‘real-time’ intervention to gain a solid understanding on the profile of the Casbah and thus the themes examined throughout this dissertation, in order for this investigation to be used as tool for the architects and urban planners involved in the decision making.

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