Hacktivism Intent – KeeganE

Restoration of ‘Free’ Public Spaces

One of the issues addressed in class which really managed to worm its way into my mind is that of the eradication of public spaces. Places to gather, converse, create, and share ideas is something which I find very important, and often times it feels as if we simply don’t have predefined spaces made purely for this kind of interaction.

In lieu of this, I’ve constructed an idea called ‘Free Spaces,’ which combines three main areas: art, public speech, and public gathering. Allow me to break it down:

Two walls set into the ground are arranged in a ‘V’ pattern, with a pedestal arranged at the angle of the ‘V.’ The wall on the left is a newly set wall, which is ready to be used as either a medium, or a display for another medium for artwork. The wall on the right displays previous works being featured for that day. The pedestal is a place for elevating oneself for speech, if one wants to do so.

The walls themselves are locked into place using hydraulic clamps arranged on either end of the wall, allowing the wall to be fixed in place, or ready for removal by forklift for replacement or display.

Example of forklift.

  Finally, a series of these nodes are arranged around a gathering area where the public is free to meet and discuss. ‘Completed’ walls can be recycled, sold to art exhibits to increase funding for the Free Space, or a gallery can be made to accommodate the artwork. A series of speakers and microphones would be used to enhance ambiance in the presentation areas, and the inverse side of walls represent an area where more ‘silent’ area for viewing and working can be achieved.