second intervention video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MABgffETf5venoClV-DqxPGYoAE5S3xy/view?usp=sharing
For my groups second intervention project, we decided to continue with our topic of hostile architecture. For our second time around, we wanted to create a song and go around Journal Square with stickers that called out the hostility. As musicians, we figured a song will be the most effective way to get our points across and I believe we did a pretty good job doing so. There is a quote in the Art of Activism that states, "As the writer Jorge Luis Borges summarized at the end of his life: "The task of art is to transform what is continuously happening to us, to transform all these things into symbols, into music, into something which can last in man's memory." p. 25 ( Steve Duncombe & Steve Lambert). This reminds me of our second intervention because we transformed what we see happening around us into music. Music is very effective since its catchy. Melodies and lyrics tend to get stuck in our heads when we least expect it.
Our creative process for this project took about 3-4 days before we actually went out and filmed the video. We spent the first day or two writing lyrics and finalizing our instrumentals and a few hours of another day writing slogans for our stickers. The lyrics came naturally to me when I first began writing but afterwards, I did a lot of revision so I could make sure I had key words in our song. These words were: Spikes, Humility and Hostility. After this process was complete, we were off recording our video which took about 2 hours in total. During this whole project, we kept in mind the teachings of chapter 2 in the Art of Activism, which is a step by step guide for the creative process of activism. Authors Duncombe and Lambert mention the importance of carving out time, finding a space to create, researching, sketching, evaluating and so on. This chapter was a massive help in organizing our thoughts so we can actually begin starting our project.
Admittedly, we both felt a little silly putting stickers around (especially since I find my handwriting atrocious) and I also feel a little awkward filming/being filmed in public. But as Duncombe & Lambert note, "In order for our creativity to progress, we need to allow ourselves the freedom to make fools of ourselves." p.58. So, as we allowed ourselves the freedom to film ourselves and look a little silly, the end product turned out to be super rewarding. After placing stickers around Journal Square, we felt proud knowing that people could see the truth behind spikes and unnecessary arm rests or gated areas. This topic is one we are especially passionate about since we have been in the area long enough to see the drastic measures gentrification has taken in order to move people who are unhoused out of sight. It is super frustrating because there is clearly more money being spent on building new shops and condos for newcomers to buy rather than building a shelter to help the ones who are already here and struggling
Hostile Architecture: "Hostile architecture is an urban-design strategy that uses elements of the built environment to purposefully guide or restrict behaviour. It often targets people who use or rely on public space more than others, such as youth, poor people, and homeless people, by restricting the physical behaviors they can engage in." (Google Definition)
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