I’D LOVE TO STAY AND CHAT BUT, 2017
Sizes variable
Aluminum, paint, pine, glue, screws
IT’S GETTING PRETTY LATE, 2017
Sizes variable
Artificial grass, FEL Group Skateboard deterrent (SD05), pine, glue, screws
NewUSembassyRender02 (KIERAN TIMBERLAKE HERO SHOT OF US EMBASSY), 2017
1330 x 2000 mm
Appropriated image printed on PVC, grip tape
SONIC DETERRENT (INFRASOUND SEQUENCE), 2017
120 minutes
Audio, 2x SONY SA-WM40 12”
The perpetual concern of potential terrorist activity nurtures neurotic mentalities that permeate the design of government buildings.
Through clever landscaping, green spaces masquerade as public spaces. These cloaked defenses operate as barricades against unauthorized vehicular access. A garden planter becomes a bollard - a pond, a moat.
Unfriendly design within public spaces takes on a similar methodology. Benches and audio installations are designed to discourage persona non grata. Uneven surfaces prevent rough sleeping, un-ergonomic design promotes short-term occupation, and high-frequency tones target young loiterers.
These passive aggressive forms of defense operate upon murky grounds because they both work to deter a somewhat ambiguous threat.
It is difficult to discern whether these tactics are effective at countering unwanted behaviour or if it simply encourages a more creative approach to insurgency.
