THE AGAINST TYRANNY
"A building hAs At leAst two lives—the one imAgined by its mAker, And the life After it—And they Are forever. it won't be the sAme."
"A building hAs At leAst two lives—the one imAgined by its mAker, And the life After it—And they Are forever. it won't be the sAme."
for generAtions, Architects hAve been cAPtivAted by the dynAmic interPlAy between the humAn body And PhysicAl surroundings, striving to crAft sPAtiAl exPeriences thAt resonAte with our evolving needs yet, users frequently chAllenge conventionAl notions of PersonAl sPAce, giving rise to Acts of nonconformity.
los Angeles serves As A quintessentiAl illustrAtion of this Phenomenon, defined by its frAgmentAtion, PArticulArly concerning Public Amenities. in his seminAl work, "quArtz city," mike dAvis delves into the encroAchment of PrivAte interests on the Public sPhere, unwelcoming Public fAcilities, And the PerPetuAtion of rAciAl segregAtion. vAried PersPectives within the city hAve sPAwned An ongoing series of Acts of defiAnce.
from the user's vAntAge Point, these Actions emAnAte from creAtivity, emPowerment, And socioculturAl Attributes through meticulous documentAtion And comPrehensive AnAlysis of observed misconduct in downtown los Angeles, i hAve curAted four emblemAtic Acts thAt give voice to four nArrAtives, sPAnning A wide sPectrum in terms of scAle And societAl imPlicAtions. furthermore, the locAles where these nArrAtives unfold will be revisited And meticulously defined.
chAPter 1: the bench
in resPonse to the inhosPitAble nAture of lA's benches, users hAve resPonded with drAmAtic And diverse behAviors. this occurrence encAPsulAtes A silent struggle between those in Authority And those who resist. through An exAggerAted PerformAnce Art, this reciProcAl gAme is vividly recorded, inviting further irony And introsPection...
chAPter 2: the concAve mirror
A cluttered street corner hosting A well-dressed bAnd is An unforeseen sight for urbAn PlAnners. A sequence of events neAr the metroPolitAn Prison hAs metAmorPhosed A negAtive And unwelcoming sPAce into one thAt is inclusive And inviting. An intriguing mirror further AmPlifies this Positive trAnsformAtion...
chAPter 3: the striP
A squAre without Any function hAs been used by locAl mexicAns with vArious Possibilities. PeoPle's sPontAneous behAvior is vividly And delicAtely disPlAyed here. they re-PlAnned the squAre in vArious wAys to form their own zone. And the shAdows formed by the striPs helP them reconstruct the whole squAre Autonomously in A non-intervention wAy
chAPter 4: the boundAry
the current stAte of Pershing squAre deviAtes considerAbly from its originAl intent. its geometric symmetry, culturAl significAnce, And monumentAl stAture hold limited APPeAl for citizens. individuAls tend to inhAbit their own individuAlly-scAled sPAces within the squAre, coexisting without interference or interAction in their PercePtion, the sPAce resembles An overlAP of fAmiliAr borders. elements within these boundAries Are Poised for enhAncement And restructuring...
the behAviorAl incidents Across these four settings yield diverse interPretAtions of the contemPorAry Public environment in downtown los Angeles by reconfiguring these sPAces through the lens of behAvior, the conceAled fAcets of the city come to light. ultimAtely, the core essence of A city is reveAled not solely through its Public Amenities, PArks, structures, And streets, but by the voices of these unPredictAble, defiAnt storytellers.
Many so-called "primitives" vehemently object to our habit of moving our entire belongings from one house or apartment to another. To them, living in a room once occupied by strangers is like buying second-hand clothes to fill a closet. When they want to move, they like to build a new house, or move the old house together.
The picture above is the scene when Guinea moved. The line between clothing and shelter is as blurred as that between a raincoat and a small tent. An empty basket can be used as a cover that snaps on to the structure, and a portable roof can also be used as an umbrella and vice versa.
In the period of ancient civilization, architecture was the architecture of the body. In classical architecture, whether it is the plane elevation section, or the columns in the building, the dome is designed using the shape of the human body or the perfect proportion of the human body.
In the 20th century, architecture began to embody the state of the body, or more importantly, the state of the mind based on sensations, adapting to the basic needs of people.
At that time, architects were discussing how the distance between people or the distance between people and society should be.
The perfect embodiment of this state is the research and invention of ergonomics. These similar disciplines start from the human body and gradually homogenize furniture, buildings and even cities.
Part of our troubles results from the tendency to ascribe to architects-or, forthat matter, to all specialists-exceptional insight into problems of living when, intruth, most of them are concerned with problemis of business and prestige. Besides, the art of living is neither taught nor encouraged in this country. We lookat it as a form of debauch, little aware that its tenets are frugality, cleanliness, anda general respect for creation, not to mention Creation.
A tAble tennis court in A PArk in germAny thAt hAd not been ProPerly used for An entire yeAr. tAble tennis courts Are discovered by users with countless Possibilities And sPAtiAl lAyouts. And such disobedient incidents Are ActuAlly very common in dAily life, such As AbnormAl use of street Public fAcilities, etc. in the finAl AnAlysis, these Are cAused by humAn behAvior And body, And the freedom of the body breAks the restrictions And frAmework of the building. it mAkes the clAssificAtion of Architecture contrAry to its originAl intention.
Unconventional phenomenon of people using public
these Activities And bodies And collectives not only chAnge the definition of ArchitecturAl instAllAtions, it cAn Also generAte ProgrAm And occuPy structures to creAte culture or events.
using the body
As A medium is AlwAys testing the limits of buildings And Public fAcilities
AgAinst diverse humAn bodies.
Take the case of the chair: as a body part, the chair is mimetic of the spine; as a projection of physical attributes, it is mimetic of body weight; as a repository of the desire to will an end to discomfort, it is mimetic of sentient awareness as a whole.
Each of these three stages progressively interiorizes the body
Because "personal space" emphasizes people, it is mainly the subject differences of people that affect it. Because people are different in all aspects, different personal spaces are reflected in the demand for space.
Anthropometricists have long agreed that the mean is a misleading condensation that leads to dangerous errors
Compared to other great cities, Los Angeles may be planned and designed in a very fragmentary sense (primarily at the level of its infrastructure) but it is infinitely envisioned.
welcome to Post-liberAl los Angeles, where the defense of luxury lifestyles is trAnslAted into A ProliferAtion of new rePressions in sPAce And movement, undergirded by the ubiquitous 'Armed resPonse'.this obsession with PhysicAl security systems, And, collAterAlly, with the ArchitecturAl Policing of sociAl boundAries, hAs become A zeitgeist of urbAn restructuring.
Today's upscale, pseudo-public spaces-sumptuary malls, office centers, culture acropolises, and so on - are full of invisible signs warning off the underclass ‘Other'. Although architectural critics are usually oblivious to how the built environment contributes to segregation, pariah groups-whether poor Latino families, young Black men, or elderly homeless white females-read the meaning immediately.
reAson:
Public fAcilities with hostile Attributes
silent About the militArizAtion of city
PrivAtizAtion of Public sPAce
Spontaneous seating space
Riders who use rides as a stopping
In response to the inhospitable nature of LA's benches, users have responded with dramatic and diverse behaviors. This occurrence encapsulates a silent struggle between those in authority and those who resist. Through an exaggerated performance art, this reciprocal game is vividly recorded, inviting further irony and introspection...
1. MASSAGER DEVICE
2. BED
3. HIGH POINT (DECLARATION OF SOVEREIGNTY)
4.GRAFFITI WAL
5. ROCKING CHAIR
6. EXERCISE EQUIPMENT/STORAGE
7. WORKSPACE
8. FOOT PAD
Cushion
Hostile Cushion
Shading
Pillows/Fitness Facilities
Drying rack
A cluttered street corner hosting a well-dressed band is an unforeseen sight for urban planners. A sequence of events near the Metropolitan Prison has metamorphosed a negative and unwelcoming space into one that is inclusive and inviting. An intriguing mirror further amplifies this positive transformation...
A square without any function has been used by local Mexicans with various possibilities. People's spontaneous behavior is vividly and delicately displayed here. They re-planned the square in various ways to form their own zone. And the shadows formed by the strips help them reconstruct the whole square autonomously in a nonintervention way...
The current state of Pershing Square deviates considerably from its original intent. Its geometric symmetry, cultural significance, and monumental stature hold limited appeal for citizens. Individuals tend to inhabit their own individually-scaled spaces within the square, coexisting without interference or interaction. In their perception, the space resembles an overlap of familiar borders. Elements within these boundaries are poised for enhancement and restructuring...