S.D.G.
2009
SUBMISSION FOR ARCHITECTURAL MASTERS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE
1.
Kristen H. Booth vol 1
seek
KRISTEN HOWARD BOOTH
--
THESIS DISCOURSE
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
VOL UME
hide hidden revealed hide. seek. hidden. revealed. Documenting and exposing the hidden condition, and re-defining the way we recognize unseen architectures within the built environment ---
hide. seek. hidden. revealed
an assimilation of compiled research by: Kristen Howard Booth Architectural Graduate Thesis The University of North Carolina at Charlotte May 2008 - May 2009
published by Lulu www.lulu.com Š 2009 Kristen H. Booth ISN 978-0-557-12130-4 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publishier and personally from Kristen H. Booth. Booth, Kristen H., 2009 hide. seek. hidden. revealed. / Kristen H. Booth ISBN 978-0-557-12130-4 (paperback) Kristen H. Booth 1324 Pulaski St. A-103 Columbia, SC. 29201 352 . 464 . 3226 kris10hope@gmail.com
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my husband Austin You have believed in me, and my thesis research from the very beginning. Thank you for investing in me - and in what I believe to be valuable work. All my love. - khb Soli Deo Gloria
KRISTEN HOWARD BOOTH
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
introduction
CONTENTS
02 03
00
forward
01 introduction |
premise
active vs. passive conditions
argument for architectural history
hide
04
active - the trajectory
05
seek
06 07 08
spatial narrative
cases for exposition
objectives & research methods
shifting typology & character profile 09
spatial control 10
hidden
11 12
thresholds
signage as armature 13
14
revealed
15 16
facades
language
networks & circulation
“hijacking� the mundane
can architecture treat a virus?
17
[the thesis statement]
revealed works - final exhibit bibliography
EAT . SLEEP . WORK . REPEAT
MOTIVATION
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
0.02
MOTIVATION
“The brevity of life grants power to abide, not an excuse to bail -”
It’s not about me - Max Lucado
The initial intrigue.
introduction
FORWARD
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
Florence, Italy
introduction
0.04
forward
My mind is intrigued with the secret and unseen. At heart, I am a seeker, a seeker of the mysteries of life that are hidden and ask to be sought after. So naturally, I am drawn to that which is hidden within our built environment. What I have found is that there are more similarities than differences between the hidden secrets of life and the hidden built environment. The motives that provoke the hidden existence of the secret built environment, originate on a very intangible and spiritual level. Throughout each case studied you will recognize a battle - a battle between good and evil that manifests within an architecturally built condition. The reality of this duelling existence is palpable within the hidden condition, and with conviction I felt it was worthy of extensive study. Most people who read this forward will never understand my conviction, but to the few that do - this work is for you. May you be encouraged and inspired to embark on your own convictions. This is not only an investigation of hidden space, but additionally a study of hidden people, hidden occupations, and hidden agendas. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to know when we have found truth, so that we may beware of its impersonator. soli deo gloria, kristen howard booth
PREMISE
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
PREM I S E : Terms [hide] and [conceal] defined
The captivating thing about a hidden or concealed space is that they are never
accidentally removed from sight, no, there is always an agenda behind its separation from the normative environment. Knowing that there is a reason for its physical separation began a spiraling effect of questions. Why here? What for? Who knew about? Who used
introduction
it? What happened if the space was discovered? And most importantly, why have they not been documented better, or at all? Questioning the act of hiding and architectural places that may conceal, has been the point of departure for this investigation. This initial intrigue encompasses things that are hidden [strictly secret], but also the things that are concealed [removed from site and not exclusively secret]. Though the terms hidden and
concealed are used almost synonymously, their differences are defined for the purpose
The initial intrigue.
of this discourse. By simple definition, the root words hide and conceal mean: Hide vt1 1. To put out of sight: secret 2. To conceal for shelter or protection: shield Conceal vt2 1. To put or keep something or somebody out of sight or prevent the person or thing from being found 2. To keep something secret or prevent it from being known
Both terms are critical to this discourse, and will be discussed in greater depth.
It is imperative though, to understand that for the parameters of this research the term
hidden is a more refined sub-topic under the greater spectrum of the concealed spaces. The hidden space is more concerned with hiding a content. The notion of hidden space is characterized by a secret motive that requires a specific programing of space. Hidden requires a higher attention to secrecy and undisclosed locations for purposes of shelter or protection, and is in direct opposition to an alternate agenda.
Concealed space is concerned with covering a location or a space. The notion
of concealed space simply requires that the space be removed from sight, its location however (unlike the hidden space) may or may not be a protected knowledge.
introduction
1.06
premise
concealed
hidden
The spaces discussed are specific examples of hidden and concealed architectures
constructed over the past 200 years, and have been evaluated through an architectural lens. This evaluation consists of written contextual analysis, accompanied by visual analysis. This lens allowed the privilege of discovering and therefore revealing the architectural narratives specific to each space, and provides me with ample argument to lobby the viability of these spaces within our architectural canon.
Additionally, I am proposing a typology of active and passive spaces that will be useful
in categorizing the nature of these spaces. This typology will serve as a framework within this investigation and will help reveal answers to questions such as, “Who controls each space?”, and “How was the space was occupied?” Essentially this is architecture in reverse, where the built environment must be questioned and explored before it we can truly understand why it was premeditated. In order to answer these questions I have had to acknowledge the presence of the spatial characters. These key players establish the architecture as a credible hidden or concealed space acceptable for this investigation. Further, it is the opposition between the characters that lay the contextual foundation for the spatial narrative. Through an exploration of hidden and concealed architectures from over the past 200 years, I have combined physical data with a personal interpretation of the data to reveal not only the hidden/concealed space but also the human narrative within it.
Defining categorical separation.
active vs. passive -typology introduction
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
ACTIVE: hidden/hider
controller
seeker
PASSIVE: concealed
open space
introduction
2.08
active vs. passive -typology
ACT I V E V S . P A S S I V E | T Y P O L O G Y
Hidden and Concealed spaces are here forth divided into two categories. They are
either considered actively - hidden or passively - concealed. To hide or conceal is an action that requires two or more separate parties. To determine whether the architecture is an active or passive condition, the spatial characters and their motives must first be established. This allows for categorical separation and the development of a typology.
ACTIVEhidden: The active hidden space is defined by the occupant and how the space is performed in. The characters within this spatial narrative include the hider, the seeker, and the spatial controller. The motives of the characters change from site to site depending on the spatial narrative. Therefore the characters are not described as antagonists or protagonists. Sometimes the good guys hide, and sometimes the bad guys hide. Each narrative has minor typological differences, but as a general rule the seeker is actively looking for the hidden, and the hidden remains secret until the spatial controller either allows the hidden to come out or the seeker to go in. Examples: Underground Railroad
Holocaust hiding spaces Sex-Trafficking
PASSIVEconcealed: The passive concealed space is defined by its built environment, and is typically indifferent to the roles of the people who occupy it. In fact people are allowed to circulate in and between them freely. The two opposing characters are the concealed and the open space. The open space is not actively seeking to find the location of the concealed, but the two must never intersect. The two spaces have separate agendas and must remain removed by distance in order to function as intended. Therefore if they remain separated they can passively coexist. Examples: Hadrians Villa
Tunnels under Disney World
Subway systems
An argument for the architectural canon...
introduction
argument for architectural history
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
AN A R G U M E N T F O R T H E H I S T O R Y OF ARCHITECTURE:
Through asking the question “How has the canonized history of architecture
recognized the history of hidden and concealed space?” a void was uncovered in our Architectural
Canon.
From henceforth the architectural canon and its recorded
Architects are recognized with the capital “A”, while the less recognized architecture and ordinary architect are referred to with a lowercase “a”. Let us take a moment to re-address the function of architectural history or more generally, the purpose for a history. History n.3 2 a: a chronological record of significant events often including an explanation of their causes.
According to this definition, we record things because of their chronological
significance; we record to explain their causes, their parameters, and to remember built spaces’ effects. By extension we record Architectural History for the same purpose of remembering their significance, their causes and dually their effects. The hidden/ concealed condition in architecture has not yet been validated in our Architectural Canon nor is it taught in our architectural history, and yet these spaces prove to be some of the most successful in accordance with their purpose for existing. For example the hidden spaces utilized by Jews during the WWII Holocaust. Rarely are these spaces illuminated, yet culturally and physically we cannot deny their effectiveness, and therefore their historical importance.
In some cases, the spaces are more recognized within social histories rather
than architectural history. Begin by asking why these spaces are largely unaccounted. Is it because these spaces are designed for refugees rather than patrons? This statement is more representative of active spaces that protect refugees and even illegal occupants. Passive spaces however, are typically occupied by more public patrons and less characterized by secrecy. Therefore, they are better known and would have a greater chance of being recognized within the Architectural Canon. Although passive spaces lend themselves to being more recognizable, it is arguable that there is a place and need for both active and passive conditions within our Architectural Canon due to the fact that both conditions address a direct need for a built environment.
introduction
3.10
argument for architectural history
Canon: We want individuals to benefit from what we create since our profession is a direct service to people and their need for space. We are a refuge, a storehouse of precedents for beautiful, innovative and daring new Architectures. Hidden/Concealed: Wouldn’t the responsibility for designing a space that would serve a need for security, escape from political, racial or religious persecution, (or simply for efficiency in circulation, transportation and entertainment) be of great significance to the canon? After all, these are the types of conditions throughout history that have asked architecture to respond. Canon: As architects we also want people to be moved by the spaces we design, creating a lasting impression and memorable experience. Hidden/Concealed: Ask any person who has ever hid for survival and they will recall, in a detailed account, the space that saved them and the experience that ensued.
It is interesting that Architects desire people to remember their experience in
the spaces they have designed, and also to be remembered for their memorable work as a hallmark upon history. And yet, in hidden/concealed spaces that possess the largest potential for a memorable experience, the architect and the architecture remain anonymous. We deify the star Architects like Frank Ghery who is noted for his sculptural form, and Frank Lloyd Wright for his style. We praise architects for innovative design but we rarely, if ever, hear of architects who are praised for their service, building to blend in, not stand out‌ and yet, at their most successful, they have saved lives! Even further than designing work that purposefully blends in, they as architects chose to remain anonymous to appear as apolitical or to refrain from being attached to the agenda of a controversial hidden space. And who could blame them for this anonymity? In fact, it was often necessary for these spaces to remain invisible or unrecognizable for a time in order for the spaces to survive. This element of humility associated with anonymity shifts the paradigm of architecture on its head, away from a desire for self-recognition, and back to a primary focus on people and their relationships with the built environment.
“hide” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. Merriam-Webster Online. 21 September 2008 <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hide> 2 “conceal” Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. <http://www.languagecourse.net/online-dictionary/out.php3?site=1062254417> 3 “history” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. Merriam-Webster Online. 21 September 2008 <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/history> 1
hide
hide. hide. seek. seek. hidden. hidden. revealed. revealed.
4.12
If the walls could only talk ...
hide
spatial narrative
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
hide
4.14
spatial narrative
SPATIAL NARRATIVE Spatial Narrative within the built condition:
Before we begin to look deeply into the architectural typology of actively hidden
spaces, the strong presence of narrative that exists in the history of such spaces must first be addressed. These spaces possess natural narratives due to the fact that their existence was premeditated for specific purposes: different on a case by case basis, but ultimately these spaces needed to be removed from a public line of sight. When people occupy space, their performance within it creates a narrative â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they imbue the space with it. Thus, it can be arguined that it is the person who is the quintessential piece that defines the environment. This concept would align with the writings of the 20th century French NeoMarxist philosopher, Henri Lefebvre, who argued that it is the productions and occupations of a society that create space. Further, it is the personal agendas and practices of a society that create a space suitable for itself.4 Without the personal need to define a space as hidden or concealed it would never be created. Without the need to hide there would never be a separation between public space and hidden space. Thus it is the people and their need to hide that enables the hidden and concealed condition to exist. While it could be argued that inhabitable space is not exclusive to the built environment, this study is only concerned with the spatial narratives that are restricted within architecture. Architecture is infused with a human narrative and the two cannot be separated. Hidden and concealed spaces are designed and built for a specific set of conditions, which architecture responds directly to. They are occupied through necessity, life saving even in the spatial examples of the US Underground Railroad, and WWII Holocaust hiding. Hidden and concealed space is intrinsically different than any other occupied space and therefore, its narrative is original as well. It is this very notion of unique narrative that should compel us as Architects to investigate these spaces closely. For it is within the confines of these spaces of the hidden and concealed that narrative is literally manifested.
acitve = hidden
hide
active - the trajectory
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
ACTIVE: hidden/hider
controller
seeker
hide
5.16
active - the trajectory
ACT I V E - T H E T R A J E C T O R Y
ACTIVE Hiding: Holocaust _ Underground Railroad _ Human Trafficking
In the active hidden condition the seeker is actively seeking to find the location of
the hidden, who is hiding or simply removed from the seeker’s sight. We could refer to the key players as “good guys” and “bad guys”, but as stated before, each active site is different. Sometimes the good guys are hiding [persecuted people], and sometimes they are seeking [the police]. These actively hidden spaces are often the sites that evoke the strongest emotions due to the nature of tension between their hider and seeker opposites.
Children’s games such as hide-and-seek exemplify an active hidden relationship. In
this game it is understood that when the seeker finds the hider the game is over. While this game of hiding generates feelings of excitement, most of the more documented historical sites of hiding provoke a very opposite spatial narrative. Most commonly the active site is utilized for physical protection and safety from a hostile seeker. Some of these examples over the past 200 years include the hidden spaces along the US Underground Railroad [18101850]; and hiding places during WWII’s Holocaust [1933-1945]. To better understand architectures of actively hidden spaces, three conditions have been selected for further examination: Holocaust hiding spaces, the US Underground Railroad, and the hidden spaces utilized by modern day sex-trafficking.
ROUTES OF ESCAPE - MAP MONTAGE BY: K.HOWARD 2009 ROUTES OF ESCAPE - BY: W.H. SIEBERT1886
Underground Railroad maps to freedom
hide
ROUTES OF ESCAPE - 1860 [ucdavis.edu]
cases fo r exposition
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
hide
6.18
cases for exposition
UND E R G R O U N D R A I L R O A D The U.S. Underground Railroad:
The setting for this narrative is 19th century America, and is better understood
in content as an “underground resistance” towards the ownership of black slaves. The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses operated by sympathizers and abolitionists who aided and abided the escape of slaves into free states and into Canada. An abolitionist is the term used to describe a US American who opposed the practice of slavery publicly. The Underground Railroad truly came into existence after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1773, which placed the responsibility for catching runaway slaves to officials within the states from whence the slaves came.5 Shortly after the Fugitive Slave Act, the abolitionist movement began in 1775 within a small community group in Pennsylvania. However, the term “Underground Railroad” did not become common language until 1831.6 These abolitionists who helped slaves gain freedom became known as “conductors” or “operators” on the Underground Railroad, and the stops along this path to freedom became widely known as the “stations” or “depots”. A conductor, who we would consider the “spatial controller”, was more specifically an individual who would help slaves escape from the plantations to the safe houses, and from house to house there after. The people who operated the safe houses became known as “station masters”, in this narrative they would also be considered as a spatial controller. Routes for the railroad range from the deep south and as far west as Colorado, to the northern free states and Canada. “It is estimated that between 1810 and 1850, 100,000 slaves escaped from the South through the Underground Railroad.”7
Underground Railroad maps to freedom
hide
cases fo r exposition
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
1 2
3
4
Image A
hide
6.20
cases for exposition
Many of the people who worked on the railroad only knew their portion of the
operation and not the entire height and breadth of its overall influence. This is largely because the railroad was a network of spaces. The Underground Railroad is an interesting anomaly to the category of actively concealed space. The Underground Railroad contains the necessary criteria to be categorized as an active space, with the slaves as the “hiders”, abolitionists as the “spatial controllers”, and the bounty hunters as the “seekers”. What makes this network unique is that within the typology of active and passive spaces, networks are typically more associated with passive spaces. Large examples of this include underground subway systems. The Underground Railroad was in fact not entirely underground, nor was it a railroad. These networks of concealed spaces often parallel examples of urban and rural forms of architectural hiding spaces utilized throughout the Holocaust. However, the case must be made that these structures existing within a 19th century America, that have aided the freedom of slaves, are largely understudied and overlooked. These architectural spaces are rich in narrative and critical to our American history as well as architectural history. It has been the intent of this research to surface the contextual and visual history of these spaces, along with the spatial narratives that have been manifested within them.
Common to many places of hiding is a coded language that facilitates the agenda
of the concealed. The Underground Railroad had its own form of hidden communication that proves the old adage, “hidden right under your nose.” Slaves encrypted directions in their spiritual songs that were freely sung throughout the day. The lyrics usually urged other travelers on this life journey to look to the heavens. While yes, this was a spiritual reference, it also referred to star constellations. They would sing about “the drinkin’ gourd”, also known as the big dipper, as this constellation was used as a night time traveling guide.
Abolitionists would also embedded directions and helpful tips for traveling slaves in
quilt patterns, and then draped them over the porch railings of their homes. The image to the left is an example of one such quilt. 1] “The Bear Paw”, communicated to follow bear tracks to navigate mountain routes. 2] The curvy X called “The Drunkards Path”, meant to avoid capture by never traveling in a straight path. [3] “Flying Geese”, told slaves to follow birds north, and to water when needed. They were advised try to travel as close to water as possible because it would disguise their scent from hunters. [4] “Crossroads”, told travelers to head to Cleveland, Ohio where escape routes joined.8
Holocaust hiding spaces
hide
cases fo r exposition
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
A Jewish family during WWII, Google Images
hide
6.22
cases for exposition
HO L O C A U S T H I D I N G
Diagrams of the hidden space within the Ten Boom home by K.Howard
Holocaust Hiding: The setting for this narrative is World War II [1933-1945]. Surviving from the Nazi political infrastructure was achieved by a means of hiding and concealing for people with disabilities, elderly, homosexuals, migrant workers, Gypsies [Roma and Sinti], Slavs, blacks, intellectuals, artists, architects, and writers associated with any faith or opposing political agenda. The devastating effects of WWII reached countries ranging from Greece to the Ukraine, and every European nationality in between [German, Italian, French, Polish, Belgian to name a few] were persecuted and suffered, but it is arguable that the Jewish Europeans suffered the greatest. Tony Judt states in his book Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is estimated that about thirty-six and a half million Europeans died between 1939 and 1945 from war-related causes (equivalent to the total population of France at the outbreak of war) â&#x20AC;Ś But what is most striking of all is the number of non-combatant civilians among the dead (=) 19 million, or more than half.â&#x20AC;?9 Because of all the multiple facets and complications that war creates, it becomes that much more difficult to record an accurate account of its history. Specific to this body of research, the messy parameters associated with war make it complex to define a singular antagonist, and a singular protagonist.
Holocaust hiding spaces
hide
cases for exposition
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
Sections of the Ten Boom house in Haarlem, Holland by: K.Booth
The Holocaust is the term that arose around 1951 to define the systematic genocide
of Jewish Europeans. In this context, the “seekers” were the Nazi soldiers who persistently sought to find the Jewish concealed spaces, the “hiders” were the Jewish people, and the “spatial controllers” were any sympathizers who helped to hide these persecuted people. The need for concealment by the Jewish people was based upon a life or death situation. The stakes were extremely high, and every Jew knew that if seen or revealed by the Nazis, he or she would be killed immediately, or sent to a concentration camp.
Hiding during the Holocaust took on many creative forms due to its immediate
need for concealment of Jews. In the urban environment, Jews either hid in self-built bunkers beneath their homes in the ghettos, or in secret rooms in the homes of non-Jewish sympathizers. Masking the entrance was of the highest importance. The entrance had to be so concealed that a brigade of experienced Nazi soldiers could not find It.10 Along with being extremely camouflaged; it had to be very accessible for the family to reach in a moment’s notice.11 Examples of clever entrances include toilets that would conceal the entrance hole, closets with secret doors, baking ovens with removable backs, and dining room tables masking the entrance to a hidden bunker.12
hide
6.24
cases for exposition
One of the most recognized spaces for hiding Jews during the Holocaust was found
in the home of the Tin Boom family located in Haarlem, Holland. After a Dutch underground specialist on secret spaces [later understood to have been one of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prominent Architects] inspected the home, he made a couple suggestions to the family. First, the room needed to be as high as possible which would place the concealed space on the third floor therefore allowing at most, 70 seconds to reach it in the event of a raid by soldiers. Secondly, the room must be unnoticeable from the exterior. Their secret room, concealed behind a brick wall, left a two ft. by ten ft. space for about 7 Jews to hide. Brick was chosen to build the wall because of its non-penetrable qualities in the event of a raid by a hammer or similar object typically used to locate secret rooms. A small closet door masked the entrance to the concealed space. The bottom shelf within the closet was detachable and the back wall of the closet slid up to reveal a crawl space.13
Holocaust hiding spaces
hide
cases for exposition
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
Image Top left, B Bottom left , C
Image Top right, D Bottom right , E
hide
6.26
cases for exposition
An alternate option to hiding in the urban environment was to escape to the
countryside. If the Jews could make it to the rural environment, their chances of surviving greatly increased due to the distance they gained from their seekers. Families would burrow in numbers of 6 to 20 people in dugouts called zemlyankas that were located beneath the ground in order to survive the severe winter cold.14 In these rural situations, the largest trepidation was where to place the displaced dirt from within the zemlyanka. A typical zemlyanka was about seven feet deep, constructed with heavy logs and insulated with moss. Trees were often used as a roof support in either one of two ways, by either utilizing the root system above to support the ceiling, or by literally transporting an entire tree below the ground to hold the roof up. All construction on the zemlyanka was typically performed at night to reduce visibility of their concealed location. The Jews had to keep the zemlyanka fully equipped in order to survive. Common findings within a dugout included small stoves, pots, stocks of food for the winter, and other necessities.15
An active space, such as the described hiding places of Jews, is only deemed
successful if they are able to maintain separation from their antagonist and protagonist. During the WWII persecution of Jews, this separation was implemented through physical distance, false facades, clever entrances, and their ability to keep their location undisclosed to Nazi soldiers. Some forms of hiding within the public line of site include those individuals who fled to the country with proper forged identification documents. Others include Jews that could hide in public circumstances under the false pretenses of a new identity. Out of all the Holocaust victims that survived we can be assured that many more attempted to hide within concealed spaces and were unsuccessful. However, of the millions of people who were murdered during WWII, it is estimated that 350,000 survivors of the Holocaust are still alive today.16 It can thus be inferred that if they are alive today, they are a living testament to the success of some form of hiding.
hide
SEX-TRAFFICKING
cases for exposition
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
hide
6.28
cases for exposition
SEX-TRAFFICKING
Sex-Trafficking|Domestic & International traffic: The setting for this narrative exists today, and lives below our feet in America made possible through hidden spaces. Sex-trafficking currently happens all over the world in countries, more predominately as Cambodia and South East Asia, the Ukraine, Russia, and Mexico, but they are not exclusive to these areas. Additionally, it occurs here, in the United States of America where we have laws that serve to protect the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of every citizen. The US Department of State speculates that 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international orders each year. In fact, San Francisco, CA is now internationally recognized as a main â&#x20AC;&#x153;hubâ&#x20AC;? for traffickers. Sex-trafficking is merely one form of the greater problem of human trafficking. The trade encompases children kidnapped to fight wars, the sex-trafficking of women and children beginning at ages as early as 5, people held captive as slaves on coffee plantations, sweatshops, diamond mines and more. What is most shocking however, is that sex-trafficking is the largest growing illegal trade in the world today.17, 18
This topic of sex-trafficking deals with injustices that architecture has facilitated.
Architecture is a tool, and like other tools, it can be used for good or for evil. Many of the structures that house these crimes existed long before illegal occupation inhabited them. Then afterwards their circulation or facades were altered to greater hide the truth about their occupancy. In more extreme cases architecture is used as a tool to design and build structures from scratch to house these illegal activities. In both instances, it is not the architecture that is to be blamed, but rather the hands that have manipulated the tool of architecture for injustice.
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
cases for exposition
So often these investigations are left to the art world to create works that draw
attention to social or political circumstances of controversy. This however, is also an area where architecture possesses a platform to speak. It is because of the architectural built form that this occupation is enabled, and therefore it is the role of architecture to reveal, like only it can, the ways in which [it] the architecture has been manipulated for the use of modern day slavery.
Within the hidden narrative of sex-trafficking, the character dialogue becomes
very muddy and often confusing. This is partially due to the fact that sex-trafficking is not only hiding a location, but also and illegal occupation. On one level - the “hider” is the
hide
trafficked woman or child. In this case it may seem awkward to call this person a hider when in fact they are actually being held captive, so for the purposes of this case the word “hider/hidden” and “captive” are synonymous.
SEX-TRAFFICKING
The “seeker” is the patron who is commonly referred to as the “John”, and the
“spatial controller” is the pimp/madame. He or she controls the space and determines who goes in and out. On a second level the pimp, the girls, the facilitating space, and the occupation are the “hidden”, and the presiding political forces that are seeking to expose the illegal trade could be considered the “seekers”.
This narrative of sex-trafficking is a global enterprise based on coercion,
deception and force. This is a profit making business, and the traffickers see their victims as dollar signs, not as slaves in bondage. The deception begins when a girls is either kidnapped, or lured to a trafficking “agency” who promises to get these girls jobs in the United States as either, waitresses, hostesses, or models. The walls are decorated with pictures of pretty girls who supposedly have success stories through the help of the agency. These girls are provided visas, which are often fake student traveling documents and trafficked into the United States with escort. Once the girls arrive, Their visas are taken away and they are told they must “work” for an extended period of time in order to “earn” them back; most girls never do. 19
They are placed in situations like illegal brothels that hide under the pretense
of a massage parlors, or Asian spas. Not only are the brothels illegal but so are the girls often held captive within them; illegal aliens, and illegally trafficked. The brothels operate under the false pretenses of a facade. This thin physical layer of separation allows for their occupation to flourish and perpetuate, and proposes an interesting
hide
6.30
cases for exposition
Message Parlor: Google images
notion of thresholds. This narrative is different than any other hidden condition, because while it must remain hidden, it must also maintain a level of visibility to attract a customer. While perverse, it is a business with the classic case of supply versus demand which requires these thresholds to secretly emerge within our society. Often the signage is unapologetic for the services they provide, like the image above that offers incall and outcall services. Though the trade is sometimes lightly camouflaged, the implied meaning is understood, and cannot be prosecuted unless an actual exchange of sex-for-money is witnessed.20
SEX-TRAFFICKING
hide
cases fo r exposition
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
hide
6.32
cases for exposition
The spatial configuration of a hidden sex-trafficking operation is based upon the
principle of total control over the space. The pimp (spatial controller) has the space planned so that he/she controls all access to the girls; no one goes in or out without their consent. The size of the room is often very minimal and is determined by the size of a twin bed which is 3 1/4 x 6 1/4 ft.. This is to maximize the amount of rooms they can build into their overall hidden space.21 more rooms = more girls = a greater profit opportunity [all tax free]
It is also not uncommon for these spaces to have systems of surveillance in order to
patrol their girls. In one case the wall height of each room was 7’ 6” tall [not the full height of the room] and was monitored by an observation deck. This provided a false sense of privacy for the John’s (the seeker). So while they were granted visual privacy from other Johns, they were still under surveillance by the Pimps, and they certainly were not granted acoustical privacy.
The following pictures to the left is the visual analysis derived from excerpts of
an undercover sting operation in Cambodia. The video was produced by The International
Justice Mission and was utilized to document the injustice forced upon women and children enslaved to sex in a hidden condition. The video was then placed in the hands of local police enforcement and together with the IJM, the slaves were freed. While this case and others like it occur on foreign soil, the trade of sex trafficking is a global endeavor. Women and children are trafficked out of these countries into our very own every day, all through the means of active hidden conditions. “The infinite distance between the dignified setting in which we talk about the gross brutalization of people and the places where it actually happens suddenly collapsed when the sights and sounds of evil incarnate filled the room.”22 - Gary Haugen
after walking into the Cambodian brothel
Images A) William S. Butler, Secret Messages: Concealment Codes And Other Types Of Ingenious Communication, New York; Pantheon Books, 1994 B, C) Corrie Ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill and John Sherrill. The HidingPlace. New Jersey: Fleming H.Revell Company, 1971. D, E) # 25301, 25305, Mar 1943 - Apr 1943, [Enschede] The Netherlands Credit: USHMM, courtesy of Bep Meyer Zion Copyright: USHMM <http://www.ushmm.org/research/collections/search/ph_catalog.php>
Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space, D. Nicholson-Smith trans.: 1991c, Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Originally published: 1974. 5 Wikipedia, Underground Railroad: Political Background [accessed 9/20/2008] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad#Structure> 6 Jessica McElrath, The Underground Railroad: Slave escape on the Underground Railroad, about.com: African-American History. [pg1] [accessed 9/20/2008] <http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/undergroundrailroad/a/undergroundrr.htm> 7 Jessica McElrath, The Underground Railroad: Slave escape on the Underground Railroad, about.com: African-American History. [pg3] [accessed 9/20/2008] <http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/undergroundrailroad/a/undergroundrr.htm> 8 William S. Butler, Secret Messages: Concealment Codes And Other Types Of Ingenious Communication, New York; Pantheon Books, 1994 9 Tony Judt, Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, [pg18,19] New York; Penguin Books, 2005 10 Corrie Ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill and John Sherrill. The Hiding Place. [pgs 75-77] New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1971 11 Corrie Ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill and John Sherrill. The Hiding Place. [pgs 75-77] New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1971 12 Alexander, Kimel. “Hiding Places - Hiding Places in Warsaw”. Holocaust Understanding and Prevention. <http://www.kimel.net/resist3.html> [accessed January 30, 2008] 13 Corrie Ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill and John Sherrill. The Hiding Place. [pgs. 77-88]New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1971 14 Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation [original source]; JewishVirtualLibrary.org [cited source] <http://www.jewishpartisans.org/t_switch.php?pageName=excerpts+from+defiant> [accessed 2/30/2008] 15 Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation [original source]; JewishVirtualLibrary.org [cited source] <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/partisan1.html > [accessed 2/30/2008] 16 Steven Spielberg, Academy Award acceptance speech, “Survivors” Educational Resource <http://fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/people/survivor.htm> [accessed 9/20/2008] 17 Resource for information: The International Justice Mission <http://www.ijm.org> 18 Resource for information: Website and documentary <http://www.callandresponse.com> 19 Resource for information: Not For Sale Campaign <http://www.notforsalecampaign.org> 20 Resource for information: Polaris Project <http://polarisproject.org> 21 Video resources for information: The International Justice Mission <http://www.ijm.org/video/viewcategory> 22 Gary A. Haugen, Gregg Hunter, Terrify No More, W Publishing Group, Nashville, TN Co. 2005 International Justice Mission 4
seek
hide. hide. seek. seek. hidden. hidden. revealed. revealed.
7.34
process... process... process...
seek
research objectiv es & methods
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
OBJ E C T I V E S :
1. Address the historical need for hiding and conditions in which hidden spaces arise.
2. Understand the historical, physical, and psychological facets of hiding through research
3. Address why these spaces are forgotten or ignored within our architectural history and to date remain absent from the Architectural Cannon through writing and oral communication
4. Further articulate the varying degrees of typologies of hidden spaces through diagrams and writing
6. Conjecture about the relationships between characters and their spatial role within the narrative of hidden space
5. Understand the systematic process of hiding and the importance of the appearance of normality.
7. Introduce architectural ways of representing hidden space versus the normative means of architectural representation and iconography 8. Design and orchestrate experience of the simulacrum of revealed spaces.
seek
7.36
research objectives & methods
RES E A R C H O B J E C T I V E S & M E T H O D S MET H O D S U S E D :
. MAPPING routes of entrance and/or exodus
. WRITING recording an interpreted spatial experience, chronicling ideas and shifting typologies
. DIAGRAMING circulatory paths of characters within the narrative, identifying thresholds
. PHOTOMONTAGE
. DRAWINGS
. COMMUNICATING NARRATIVE
spatial understanding with a contextual reference
plan, section, axonometric, and perspective views
identifying the characters within each space
. MODELS conceptual, sectional, diagrammatic or any other variation
. INSTALLATION this is a gestural representation intended to act as an experiential piece, of what I like to call â&#x20AC;&#x153;the living planâ&#x20AC;?. Translucent material selected for these pieces serves to juxtapose the dark hidden environment, and represent the act of revealing space.
hider . seeker . moderator
seek
shifting typology & chara cter profile
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
seek
8.38
shifting typology & character profile
CHARACTER PROFILE
hider . seeker . moderator
seek
shifting typology & chara cter profile
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
seek
8.40
shifting typology & character profile
UNDE R G R O U N D R A I L R O A D THE SPACE The Underground Railroad [UGRR] typology has the three main characters active within it: hider - seeker - controller. Uniquely the UGRR is a system of hidden spaces rather than a specific location. The hidden condition itself was more of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;hidden-in-plain-sightâ&#x20AC;? situation. The hidden spaces were the homes of abolitionists who provided safe cover for slaves. While some had hidden compartments, most were hidden by keeping a normal appearance within their neighborhood context. A home on the UGRR looked no different than the home next door. HIDER The hiders were the slaves who were escaping from the south and fleeing to the north via a system of secret locations along a specific path. The UGRR was a system of safe rest stops for these hiding slaves. Typically the runnaway slaves traveled at night and took cover in the homes of abolitionists just before dusk - until it was safe to begin traveling again. CONTROLLER The spatial controllers were those who hid slaves within their homes, or managed a specific route on the UGRR. The UGRR was not only a system of hidden spaces, but also a system of hidden people and hidden communication. In order to protect the runaway slaves and the abolitionists, most conductors only knew their portion of the route. SEEKER The seekers were the bounty hunters or the slave owners searching for runaway slaves. Their motive was to find the slaves and return them to where they escaped from. Typically there was a reward of some kind for their returning a slave.
hider . seeker . moderator
seek
shifting typology & character profile
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
seek
8.42
shifting typology & character profile
HOLO C A U S T H ID I N G S P A C E S THE SPACE The Holocaust utilizes the three main characters of hider - seeker - controller. The spaces in this narrative are extremely constricting and defined by the limitations of the body. Most homes had very little space to spare and so the hidden room had to be as small as possible to remain unnoticed. In the urban condition Jews hid within the homes of sympathizers, like in the story of the Ten Boom family. In the Jewish ghettos families built bunkers beneath their homes, and in the country they burrowed beneath the ground for warmth and security. A 0% visibility was critical when constructing a space. There were indicators that could give away the location of a hidden space. Some of these precautions included placing the ventilation pipe, addressing windows, masking the entrance, stocking the space with supplies, and the transferrance of displaced dirt. HIDER In every location where there were holocaust hiding spaces, the hider was always the Jew and additionally others being persecuted by the Nazi. CONTROLLER Urban setting: The spatial controller would have been the family who hid Jews within their home. Ghettos: The controller in this narrative would have been the Jews themselves who worked to hide their families beneath their normative homes in the Ghetto. Country: The controller here would have been the Jews again who hid themselves and maintained the hidden environment. SEEKER The seekers were Nazi Germans, and additionally anyone else who would have had the same political stance as Nazi Germany. Jewish sympathizers, and those who helped them hide, could trust virtually no one - especially the neighbor. The motive of the seeker was once they knew of, or found the hidden Jew, they either turned them over to the authorities for a reward, or took them away to a prison or death camp.
hider . seeker . moderator
seek
shifting typology & character profile
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
seek
8.44
shifting typology & character profile
SEX- T R A F F I C K I NG THE SPACE The sex-trafficking condition contains the most typological shifts. Due to the fact that this condition exists in so many different states and cultures - it adapts to the circumstances that confront it in each location. Some of the common denominators between this case and the pervious two is that like the underground railroad, sex-trafficking is mobile as well. While there are stationary locations, there are many more that house girls as they are moved from place to place. This constant form of mobility becomes a way of hiding. Similar to the Holocaust narrative, the stationary locations are most prevalent in big cities and are covered by a facade that fits into the normal street environment. It is difficult to decipher if a location offering the services of young women is partaking in sex-trafficking, regardless however at the most innocent level they are operating as a brothel offering prostitution, and in the United States that is illegal as well [with the exception of a few locations]. The largest indicators of a hidden sex operation are the reduction of visibility into the space and an increase of surveillance out of the space. For instance the windows are typically blocked off or blacked out, and there are surveillance cameras monitoring all entrances and exits of the building. This condition is marked by its heightened sense spatial control. HIDDEN The hider in the sex-trafficking condition differs the greatest from the previous two cases. In this narrative the girl is held against her will. Even in the instance that the girl chose her situation, the pimps are still hiding her visibility from the authorities. - - - Another way to look at it is that the Pimp is the hider, and the authorities are the seeker. CONTROLLER In the previous two cases the controller worked to provide the best situation for the hidden occupant. The controller in this scenario is seeking their own personal benefit and using the hidden occupant as property in order to achieve monetary success. SEEKER The seeker in this condition is different again from the other two cases. The seeker is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Johnâ&#x20AC;? who seeks out the services of the hidden girl. His motive is to use her services and then to leave. This differs from the other two seekers who take the hidden occupant once they find them. - - - However, if you consider the Pimp the hider, and the authorities the seeker, then they would take the hidden girl once they had found her.
hidden
hide. hide. seek. seek. hidden. hidden. revealed. revealed.
9.46
occupant defined spaces
hidden
spa tial control
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
hidden
9.48
spatial control
SPAT I A L C O N T R O L
Spatially, we like control over our surroundings, and it is no different within the hidden built environment. The pictures located above illustrate a few instances of both spatial control and a cellular organization, which are both reoccurring elements within the sex trafficking hidden condition. What is most interesting from an architectural standpoint about the spatially controlled environment is that it is highly programed and spatially planned for a specific agenda. And by planned, what is meant is designed. Not all hidden environments were designed by architects and designers, but some most definately were designed by architecturally trained minds. This begins a dialogue around how people utilize space. As architects we are highly interested in how people occupy space, and further how they can adapt it to meet their needs. Within each of these conditions of hidden space the occupants have diverted/avoided a public attention from their hidden occupants. Further, the hidden occupancy is not one of a loose existence, but rather is highly structured - controlled - monitored - and maintained. This shows that there are groups of people today that have a highly detailed spatial program and are operating completely under the radar. What does this mean to architecture? It means that if we are in opposition with a hidden agenda or occupation, we must first understand fully how they inhabit and control space, before we can begin to design to out smart their spatial adaptations. Likewise, if we are in accordance with their hidden agenda, we must fully understand it if we wish it to perpetuate.
FACADES - the operational cover
hidden
facades
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
A church on the Underground Railroad
The Ten Boom home in Haarlem, Holland
hidden
10.50
facades
FACADES Facades serve as operational cover within the hidden condition. In order for the hidden agenda to operate properly it is imperative that the facade does not draw an unordinary attention to itself. At the most basic level the facade advertises or projects a different appearance than what is actually occurring inside. The far left image is of a church on the Underground Railroad, the second is the watch shop and residence of the Ten Boom family who hid Jews in their upstairs closet. The third facade exists in an ally way and portrays itself as a nondescript apartment building entrance, when in fact it is the entrance to one of the largest brothels in San-Francisco. The facade respects the normative environment asking that it be excepted and overlooked as suspicious - while the inside occupation contests everything about the normative environment and expected use of its occupied space.
King Massage in San Francisco, CA
THRESHOLDS - where supply meets demand ...
hidden
thresholds
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
hidden
11.52
thresholds
THRESHOLDS Facades are the most natural segue to the topic of thresholds because the facade is in fact what contains the first threshold within the hidden condition. The threshold is most important to the spatial controller because they serve as “checkpoints” of surveillance. Essentially before a hider or seeker can cross any threshold within the hidden condition they must first have permission from the spatial controller. Examples: . The slave cannot enter the safety of a home on the underground railroad without the permission of the station conductor [controller] . The Jew is not permitted to exit the hiding space until they are informed from the controller [through a predetermined signaling system] or verbally told when it is safe to come out. . The John cannot enter the brothel until the Pimp [controller] permits him access. Additionally for the sex-trafficking condition, the threshold at the most basic level is where the “supply meets the demand”. Therefore, the threshold becomes the most vulnerable piece in the schema of the hidden space because it is the point of penetration into the hidden condition.
The sign is an extension of the hidden condition ...
signage as armature
hidden
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
hidden
12.54
signage as armature
SIG N A G E A S A R M A T U R E In the last chapter we addressed how the threshold controls the interaction between the supply and demand but we have not addressed yet how the hidden supply is advertised to the demand that lives in the public environment. This is where we discover the use of signage as an armature of the hidden space. Similar to how the facade operates within the normative environment disclosing a hidden agenda behind its walls, the signage operates through code, to advertise the hidden supply. Examples: Underground Railroad Due to the historical era and the education of the people who traveled the hidden railroad, most slaves could not read or write, so they passed directions to stations through verbal communication. They cleverly embedded directions within their spiritual songs that passed as normal to any who might hear. They used the stars as guides on their midnight journey and sang about the stars they followed during the day. They also utilized the power of the image to pass information to one another. They embedded directions again in the quilts they stitched and hung over the railings of their homes. Holocaust Because it was difficult to know who you could trust, most information about safe hiding places was passed through an underground group of Jews who network together in order to pass along information. The Ten Boom family became well recognized in this underground community and kept a triangle sign in their window that told Jews it was safe to enter their home. When the sign was not in the window, they knew the space was compromised. Sex-Trafficking Signage within sex-traffic is used literally to advertise a hidden supply. There are key words and phrases to look for like: Incall-Outcall (meaning she can come to you or you can come meet her at a hidden location), happy ending denotes that they offer full intercourse. Some brothels go under code names like massage parlors or health clubs. There is also the alternative correlation for a sign. Texaco gas stations to the average person means a place to fill up their car with fuel. But to a John it could mean an undercover place to meet up with a girl. Additionally with the use of the internet today girls are being advertised on common sites such as Craigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list. Typically if the girls face is blurred out in the on-line advertisement they are a minor.
language
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
$ - $100 $ $ - $ 200 $$$ - $ 300 $$$$ - $400
AAMP
- Apartment Asian Massage Parlor. Based in a residential apartment instead of a commercial store front
Asian - American Massage parlor. Politically correct acronym. Anti-Sex Pervert - “These are the “real” perverts, the people
Language as defined by the hidden condition.
hidden
who are against the concept of healthy men engaging in sex with willing female partners...”
ASP - Adult Service Provider BCD - Behind Closed doors BSF BJ Barracuda - Takes $ - no sex DDF - Drug and Disease Free DIM Ellie LE - Law Enforcement EMP - European Massage Parlor Five-O - Police officer FOB - Fresh off the boat Happy Ending - offers sex Herb Friendly - Marijuana allowed L/A/S/ - Look / Attitude / Service [ranking system] LOS - Land of Smiles - Thailand Nooner - Lunch time sessions - Popular with married folks In Call - you go to her place Out Call - She comes to you PRC - Peoples Republic of China PIM Punter - British for a man who exchanges with a prostitute AR RLD - Red Light District String Trolling - Driving around looking for a prostitute B - Baltimore FIB - Fultoon Independence Blvd. - Atlanta STU -
hidden
13.56
language
LANGUAGE The past chapters cover all visual forms of communication, but what we have yet to discuss is verbal communication and language itself. The hidden condition generates its own form of hidden code, or better described as its own language to communicate between additional hidden parties or a seeking demand. Interestingly there is a progression and cultural adaptation between each of these hidden condition’s language. As we have discussed, most slaves could neither read nor write, so they embedded their language into the lyrics of their songs. During the Holocaust they had the advantage of passing written material, as well as in some cases radio and telephone communication. In the Ten Boom family they always referred to their hidden Jews as, “the watches” which was natural considering they ran a family watch repair shop. With the accessibility of the internet sex-trafficking has a broader network of communication, particularly between the patrons, “John’s”. There are entire website blogs dedicated to discussion about where to get the best services for the right price. All conversation is heavily coded with acronyms which constitutes its own form of language.
Hidden networks of people, spaces and occupations.
hidden
networks & circulation
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
hidden
14.58
networks & circulation
NETWORKS AND CIRCULATION
There is almost a 200
year gap between the data that comprises the two maps to the left. The first map illustrates the escape routes from slavery to freedom for African American slaves.
The
second
map
illuminates the circulation routes for sex-traffickers within the United States. The larger orange dots on the lower map indicate the main hubs for traffickers. This
means
that
at
these
locations girls are typically either kidnapped into sex-trafficking or brought into the country illegally.
Within
each
of
these three narratives of the underground railroad, Holocaust, and sex-trafficking the notion that each hidden space is somehow linked to a network or hidden spaces is a large similarity. The location of each hidden space within the network was not always know, but the awareness that others like it did in fact exist to carry out the same purpose is quite overwhelming.
revealed
hide. hide. seek. seek. hidden. hidden. revealed. revealed.
15.60
revealded
“hijacking” the mundane
Contesting the use of “free” space
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
revealed
15.62
“hijacking” the mundane
“HIJACKING” THE MUNDANE As architects we are, and should be concerned with how people utilize the built environment occupying space. What we find with hidden space is that it moves in and takes over nondescript even mundane environments, essentially hijacking them for their own agenda. What is meant by this is that due to the fact the facade and the interior program of a hidden space lead double lives - there is nothing intriguingly special about the spaces that are being hidden. The space they occupy could be a law office, or a nail salon, or a sexparlor. In this condition it is not the high design of the building that defines the occupation of the people within, but rather in the hidden condition it is the people that define the program and circulation. They are personally indifferent to the exterior of the space, as long as it does not give away their existence. This contradicts everything that architecture sets out to achieve, and yet it utilizes programmatic design in order to function at a top capacity. From a professional stance, this should cause us to consider how our clients truly utilize their space. This part of the research aligns closely with the conversation of privacy. While most of our clients do not have hidden agendas, they do live private lives behind close doors, and as designers it is our responsibility to understand the private implications of clients lifestyles and plan accordingly in order to maximize efficiency and usability. Another observation is, not only are these highly charged hidden agendas selecting mundane spaces - but in some instances such as sex-trafficking - they are manipulating free space for their personal agenda. The American truck stop could not be a more publicly used free space to occupy at any given time, and yet we see that users are adapting to the notion of this free space and utilizing it to their advantage. Similarly the typological highway motel - free to the public as rentable space. These additionally are being utilized as meeting locations for the every growing popular sex-trafficking trade.
[ THE
can architecture tr eat a virus? [the thesis statement] revealed THESIS STATEMENT ]
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
COMPONENTS / SYMPTOMS CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS - hider/seeker/controller SPATIAL CONTROL FACADES - operational cover THRESHOLDS - where supply meets demand SIGNAGE - as armature NETWORKS & CIRCULATION LANGUAGE SPATIAL ADAPTATION
revealed
16.64
can architecture treat a virus? [the thesis statement]
[THE THESIS STATEMENT]
When the topic of hidden spaces was originally selected, one question in particular consistently propelled the research... â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why do hidden spaces continue to reoccur?â&#x20AC;? The spaces selected for research are individually separated by 75 to 100 years, encompassing a total historical spectrum of 200 years. Despite this gap in time, distinctive parallels emerged illuminating that hidden space was and is much more than a hidden built environment - it is a condition. It is a condition that is comprised of hidden people, agendas, locations, language, signage, circulation and overall constant adaptation to their physical need to remain unseen. Even more intriguing is the fact that the hidden condition exists in and among everyday life. Within each case, there is a force of opposition that exists between the two main characters. This force, whether originating in good or evil, mandates that the two characters be separated and hidden from one another in order to properly exist. This need for separation calls for a threshold and therefore, a built condition. Although from case to case there are strong similarities, each condition is never exactly duplicated. Therefore, it has been the goal to discover as much as possible about these hidden spaces and reveal them as they have surfaced, illuminating their likenesses and differences. Additionally, the goal has been to generate conversation and public critique about hidden topics and what hidden spaces have achieved. Lastly, there is an over arching desire that these hidden spaces might one day be recognized within our architectural canon. On a most basic level this thesis is about recognizing what occurs beneath the normative surface. Call it curiosity, but what this curiosity has found are monumental establishments. Some have saved lives, and some have squandered life. The spectrum contains polar opposites but what it does draw attention to are hidden needs, wants or desires that have manifested in hidden spaces in order to exist - and all amongst everyday life.
[ THE
can architecture tr eat a virus? [the thesi s statement] revealed THESIS STATEMENT ]
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
revealed
16.66
can architecture treat a virus? [the thesis statement]
What has been found in regards to the initial prompting question, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why do hidden spaces continue to reoccur?â&#x20AC;? Firstly, people do not hide based upon an innate need to hide. While hiding can be exciting and is characteristic of many games we play physically and metaphorically, that is not the sole reason we hide. Though previously mentioned, Henri Lefebvre said it best when he argued that it is the personal agendas and practices of a society that create a space suitable for itself.23 People hide because they have a circumstantial need that requires them to be removed from sight for good or for evil, there can be no blanket ethical charge to the practice of hiding. On a practical scale, this theoretical research speaks to the private implications of people. While this study was not about the notions of privacy, it touches that larger conversation at a point. As architects and designers we are concerned with the ways in which people live their lives behind closed doors. This understanding enables us to intuitively think like our clients and design in a way that best accommodates their lives. And while we may not all be contracted to design hidden spaces, this thesis should cause us to consider the clients in our projects as characters, with private, potentially unspoken needs or habits that need to be designed for. Because the hidden condition is largely circumstantial, it will persist and resurface again due to a different set of parameters and needs. When it does resurface it will maintain the primary components of spatial control, misleading facades, thresholds, signage, networks/circulation, language, and spatial adaptation. Similar to a virus that adapts, changes and perpetuates, the two are incurable, but when anticipated they can both be counteracted. In each of these narratives studied, there is some type of social injustice occurring. Architecture cannot and should not solve all problems that occur within its built environment. Nevertheless, architectural practice as a way of thinking seeks out problems, diagnosing and questioning how to make them better. While all problems may not have an available solution, there is most often a treatment to improve the quality of life surrounding a particular problem. Just as a human virus currently has no cure, it is treatable and the first step to treatment is recognizing that there is indeed a problem. The point of this thesis is not find a sure way to prevent sex-trafficking and slavery, nor is it a guide on how to construct a well hidden space. This thesis is about revealing the hidden condition that is so well hidden that most of us never assume it lives in our own cities and towns. This thesis was designed to reveal conditions so that we as a culture can recognize larger multi-faceted issues that lie physically beneath our feet in everyday life. This recognition enables visibility and awareness of these hidden situations, which is the first step toward treatment.
23
Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space, D. Nicholson-Smith trans.: 1991c, Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Originally published: 1974.
revealed - exhibition
revealed. revealed. works works -- exhibition exhibition
17.68
a culmination of work at its fruition
revealded
REVEALED WORKS - THE FINAL EXIHBITION
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
revealed works
17.70
REVEALED WORKS - THE FINAL EXHIBITION
THE FINAL EXHIBITION
The final exhibition consisted of two main features. One being the manuscript of this book displayed on the walls. The second were full scale mock-ups of the holocaust hiding space, and the sex-trafficking hidden space. Their nature is gestural and surrounding them marked on the floor are the actual dimensions of the spaces studied. In essance they become living plans for viewers to inhabit.
a culmination of work at its fruition
revealded
REVEALED WORKS - THE FINAL EXIHBITION
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
revealed works
17.72
REVEALED WORKS - THE FINAL EXHIBITION
THE FINAL EXHIBITION
A Special Thanks to: Eric Sauda - for the whit, pep talks, belief in this thesis and guidance Greg Snyder - for your patience with my ideas, lots of books, and key clamps Nora Wendl - NATO, red-lines, coffee, constant belief in me and this thesis Dr. Jim Frakes - for great conversations, always giving me fresh and original perspective Jeff Balmer - for guidance, and for helping me make Canada look good Chris Beorkrum - for innovative ideas, and graphic help Andrew King - for all your manual labor and design build help! Chris Tangora - for your never ending patience with my printing issues Katie Lantz - for your prayers Meaggen Anderson - for your comic relief, and for all the home cooked meals! lult Dr. Del Tackett - for teaching me how to separate the truth from all the lies Dr. Chris Leland - for a much needed fresh perspective on post modernism and reality Steve Howard, dad - for all your oncall and standby research Austin Booth, husband - for your patience, unwavering love, encouragement and leadership
hide. seek. hidden. revealed.
bibliography
BIBL I O G R A P H Y Bachelard, Gaston. The Poetics of Space, Translated from the French by Maria Jolas. Foreword by Etienne Gilson. Boston, Beacon Press [1969, c1964] Bok, Sissela Secrets: On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation, New York: Pantheon Books, [1983] c1982.
research
Butler, William S. Secret Messages: Concealment Codes And Other Types Of Ingenious Communication, New York; Pantheon Books, 1994 Connor, Michael. How To Hide Anything, Colorado; Paladin Press, 1984 Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. <http://www.languagecourse.net/onlinedictionary/out.php3?site=1062254417> Evans, Robin. essay entitled “Figures, Doors and Passages” from Translations from Drawing to Building. London: Architectural Association, c1997. Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation [original source]; JewishVirtualLibrary.org <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/partisan1.html> Gary A. Haugen, Gregg Hunter, Terrify No More, [pg.8] W Publishing Group, Nashville, TN c.2005 International Justice Mission Kimel, Alexander. “Hiding Places - Hiding Places in Warsaw”. Holocaust Understanding and Prevention. <http://www.kimel.net/resist3.html> Lefebvre, Henri. The Production of Space, D. Nicholson-Smith trans.: 1991c, Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Originally published: 1974. McElrath, JessicaThe Underground Railroad: Slave escape on the Underground Railroad, about.com: African-American History. [pg1] [accessed 9/20/2008] <http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/undergroundrailroad/a/undergroundrr.htm> Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. “hide” Merriam-Webster Online. 21 September 2008 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hide Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. “history” Merriam-Webster Online. 21 September 2008 ”history” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/history McLane. Shaun. Disney Underground – The Tunnels exposed <http://www.ekday.com/blog/files/8036d653b430ffa276d8767dde659c06- 28.html>
research
x.74
bibliography Pallasma, Juhani. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. London: Academy Editions ; Lanham, Md. : Distributed to the trade in the USA by National Book Network, inc, 1996. Pike, David L. Subterranean Cities: The world beneath Paris and London, 1800-1945. New York, Cornell University. 2005 Ray, Mary-Ann. “Seven Partly Underground Rooms and Buildings for water, ice, and midgets.” Pamphlet arc. No. 20, New York; Princeton Architectural Press,1997 Reid, Donald. Paris Sewers and Sewerman: Realities and Representations, Massachusetts; Harvard University Press,1991 Rose, Daniel Asa. Hiding Places, New York, Simon & Schuster, 2000 Rosenberg, Maxine B. Hiding to Survive, New York, Clarion Books. 1994 Spielberg, Steven. Academy Award acceptance speech, “Survivors” Educational Resource, <http://fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/people/survivor.htm> [accessed 9/20/2008] Judt, Tony. Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, [pg18,19] New York; Penguin Books, 2005 Trench, Richard and Ellis Hillman. London Under London: a subterranean guide. London: Butler & Tanner Ltd., 1984 new material 1993 Ten Boom, Corrie. Elizabeth Sherrill and John Sherrill. The Hiding Place. New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1971. Wikipedia, Underground Railroad: Political Background [accessed 9/20/2008] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad#Structure> Williams, Rosalind. Notes on the Underground, Massachusetts; The MIT Press, 1992
SEX-T R A F F I C K I N G R E S O U R C E S AND W E B S I T E S : Call + Response - Website and documentary
<http://www.callandresponse.com>
Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking - FCAHT Free The Slaves
<http://stophumantrafficking.org>
<http://freetheslaves.net>
Not For Sale Campaign <http://www.notforsalecampaign.org> Polaris Project
<http://polarisproject.org>
The International Justice Mission
<http://www.ijm.org> <http://www.ijm.org/video/viewcategory>
hide. seek. hidden. revealed hide. seek. hidden. revealed elaevseek. er .nehidden. ddih .kerevealed es .edih hide. elaevseek. er .nehidden. ddih .kerevealed es .edih hide. hide. seek. hidden. revealed hide. seek. hidden. revealed hide. seek. hidden. revealed e l a e v e r . n e d d i h . k e e s . e d i h elaevseek. er .nehidden. ddih .kerevealed es .edih hide. elaevseek. er .nehidden. ddih .kerevealed es .edih hide. hide. seek. hidden. revealed e l a e v e r . n e d d i h . k e es .edih hide. seek. hidden. revealed elaevseek. er .nehidden. ddih .kerevealed es .edih hide. hide. seek. hidden. revealed hide. elaeseek. ver .nehidden. ddih .kerevealed es .edih elaeseek. vseek. er .nehidden. ddih .kerevealed es .edih hide. hide. hidden. revealed hide. seek. hidden. revealed e l a e v e r . n e d d i h . k e es .edih hide. seek. hidden. revealed hide. seek. hidden. reveale Kristen H. Booth is a 2009 Masters of Architecture Graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, with an undergraduate degree in Interior Design from Samford University. This book is a compilation of her graduate thesis research titled, hide. seek. hidden. revealed. Her work traces three hidden architectural histories from the past 200 years, in attempt to surface what she has coined as, “the hidden condition”. Through a synchronized system of research, she carefully unpacks narratives from the Underground Railroad, WWII’s Holocaust, and modern day Sex-Trafficking. Hidden spaces are revealed from each scenario and paralleled against the other two histories to illuminate a condition that exists secretly amongst everyday life. This research references timeless stories, and pressing relevant social injustices - all of which formulate a discussion that is worthy of consideration. She has not only surfaced the footprints of architectural hidden spaces, but also hidden people, hidden occupations, and hidden agendas.
hide. seek. hidden. reveale hide. seek. hidden. reveale hide. seek. hidden. reveale
hide. seek. hidden. reveale
hide. seek. hidden. reveale hide. seek. hidden. reveale hide. seek. hidden. reveale hide. seek. hidden. reveale ISBN 978-0-557-12130-4
90000
9 780557 121304