Anti-anti-sites
The state of emergency declared in certain French cities over recent years has sterilized our urban spaces and, increasingly, put them under tight control. It was this situation that inspired my exploration of so-called anti-sites—places and structures designed to discourage the presence of homeless people—during a residency at Strasbourg’s Syndicat Potentiel art space. I invited architect and scholar Shin Alexandre Koseki and playwright Antonia Taddei to participate. My aim was to rethink and transform these sites, first by identifying and mapping them, then by modifying the sites themselves. Antonia Taddei worked in parallel to create a Wikipedia page on the topic. Eventually, structures that counteract the existing forms will be installed, forming islets that encourage interaction, offer comfort, and concretely improve people’s realities. I will also organize a pop-up edition of the project in 2021.