Crossing the picket line

FIELDWORK BLOG

Shane Sugrue

This blog records the ongoing fieldwork portion of my research into participatory art, performance and public celebration as modes of political action fostering civic engagement. Considering cultural activities such as festivals, street parades, and large-scale art installations as forms of ritualised spatial practice, or theatre, this project uses the methods of architectural design to examine the material and spatial dimensions of these activities in order to determine the social and political role they might play. This work is carried out as part of the MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design (MAUD) at the Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge.

Having been embedded within a community of artists, activists and community organisers in Brisbane over the last number of years, I have made the observation that participating in the production of grassroots cultural events is often a transformative experience for participants of diverse backgrounds, challenging their preconceptions of place, identity, and community, heightening their expectations of democratic participation and accountable governance, and empowering them to exercise creative agency. Drawing on my experience as both a participant and organiser of these events, my aim with this research is to develop a methodology for design practice that a) validates this observation, and b) can be repeated in new contexts. In order to do this, I have proposed to undertake a series of design experiments that seek to enact this type of transformative participation. A pilot study presented the first set of these tests – a series of paper design exercises through which I have developed a theoretical approach and a concept design proposal. The fieldwork period is taken as an opportunity to further develop these in a series of full-scale built and performed interventions in-situ. These will be undertaken in collaboration with arts practitioners and cultural organisations in Brisbane, and paired with detailed site and context analysis, in order to develop a schematic design proposal to be carried forward into the next phase of the project.

Seemingly a long way from the manicured lawns of middle America, Brooklyn still makes room for the suburban enthusiast - evidenced by this tiny vegetable patch outside a café on Union Ave. But don’t be fooled! The shabby DIY aesthetic is deeply embedded in Williamsburg’s hip café culture. It becomes impossible to distinguish chic from naff, well-heeled from down at heel.

In truth this rarefied slice of suburbia denotes a form of gentrification so advanced that it’s hard to say which side of the ironic white fence you fall on. And when the teller rings up your total it can feel like you’re sitting directly on top of a pointy picket: on the first morning of the trip I parted ways with a painful $28 for the pleasure of a filter coffee, two pastries, and a small bag of coffee beans to bring back to my hosts…

The tiny veggie patch outside the cafe in Brooklyn where I learned a valuable lesson.