Margrethe Lauber
Service Entrance:
The Everyday Life
of Famous Buildings
We are all familiar with the photographs of the architectural wonders of New
York City--the classic views which capture the optimal angle of the facade
or the granduer of the lobby. If we approach the building on foot, we are
guided by to the main entrance by both the built environment and the habit
of pedestrian activity. We are visitors to the place and are given access
only to the approved public space.
The "life" of a buillding, the daily activity required to support
its infrastructure, is a backstage event with a separate entrance at the rear.
This portion of the building has no design merit and is not worthy of photographs.
It is off limits and for the most part unknown.
On this psychogeographic walk, we will explore these back spaces. The participants
will split up in small groups and will choose an "area" card with
a list of places to seek out. Each group will receive a disposable camera
to document the site and experience.
Sample buildings include:
UN
Lincoln Center
Flatiron
Empire State
Rockefeller Center
may 08 —11 . 2003 . nyc
Margrethe Lauber
Lost in Belfast:
Design and Social Space in a Divided City
...but if what people said was true,
that it really was one of the nastiest cities in the world, surely then it
was worth spending some time in, for horror interest?
Paul Theroux
"Half the fun of travel is the
esthetic of lostness."
Ray Bradbury
The experience of being “lost” can stem from both from cognitive
and physical blocks. One can lose their way socially and spatially —
being confronted with unknown practices or faced with actual impediments or
restrictions along a journey.
In most cases, a simple request for directions or a cursory glance at a map
will extricate you from difficult circumstances. In a divided city, however,
where questions are suspect and maps are mostly fiction, the terms of engagement
with the city become more complicated and maze-like.
In this presentation, I will describe a 3-year visit in Belfast, Northern
Ireland, during which I researched and photographed the Peacelines —
a series of walls that separate Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods. I will
discuss both the geography of urban space in Belfast and the topography of
the culture of urban division, and will relate how I managed to acquire the
stock of knowledge required for decision-making and interaction in this city.
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related website:
Belfast's
Peacelines: An Analysis of Urban Borders, Design and Social Space in a Divided
City
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category: talk; walk
