XS XS is a submission-based, student-run publication within the MIT Department of Architecture. Our ephemeral and to-the-point nature allows us to have quick discussions about issues pertinent to architecture and design. Written responses are limited to 500 words, and we encourage a balance of both writing and images. Submissions are accepted in the
Public Space
interviews. Submissions will be accepted all semester long and will be published within a week of being received, edited, and revised. At the end of the semester, all issues will be compiled into a single volume. interests of the department of architecture, MIT, or any faculty member.
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Issue 7
M ay 10th , 2013
R evol u ti on
Pub l i c Spa c e: A Common Denominator for Political Dissent Mariam Abdel Azim
“The expanse awaiting me really no longer, not only, the site of the event where I must perform, it changes little by little, I glimpse bodies as they run, crawl or hide, a cloud flies above (smoke from the gunshots or tear gas), its middle is deserted, as if overexposed to the assailants’ fire, the ground is strewn with corpses, rubble, and the light which bathes is studded with sparks. I understand that I am at Tiananmen Square, or Tahrir Square, or any other square which, with shared momentum, unites the crowds we are all part of.” –Marie Etienne, Metamorphoses From Tiananmen to Tahrir Square to the Occupy movements, public space has always been a place for freedom of speech and political dissent. In 1989, thousands of Chinese students and people gathered in Tiananmen Square to express their discontent about the regime and to claim freedom and democracy. After almost a month of protest, the premier declared martial law, the dissenters were oppressed and hundreds were killed by soldiers of the Chinese army. 22 years later, echoes of China reached Egypt and in January 2011, Egyptian citizens demonstrated
in Tahrir Square demanding freedom and social justice. In 18 days, the president resigned and Tahrir (which means liberation) finally earned its name. In the succeeding fall, the Occupy movement started in the United States as if the Egyptian revolution was an alarm awakening people to claim their rights; even demonstrators in Dewey Square in Boston held placards that read “Walk like an Egyptian”. Tiananmen, Tahrir, and Dewey are all dominant public squares in their respective cities that have shared similar scenes and have played the same political role in uniting people of the community to express their dissent. Tiananmen, the third biggest square in the world, is located in the heart of Beijing and Tahrir is a vital civic center for Cairo both geographically and symbolically. Dewey Square on the contrary is small but also in a significant location as it lies at the heart of the financial district in Boston. These squares were transformed by the occupation of people into a spatial and a visual representation of people’s struggle, a platform for manifestation. Although the three squares discussed here are different in terms of their locations and dominance, they all shared this common function. Today these spaces are almost abandoned, evoking memories of the past. Tiananmen is now transformed into a touristic and a highly monitored site. Tahrir returned to its initial function as a traffic circulation square, and Dewey is occasionally a site for public art displays and events. But still, we can imagine that public spaces all over the globe will continue to be sites of freedom of expression and civic discourse.
Tiananmen Square, Beijing
Tahrir Square, Cairo
So, which public space is next? Revolution Continues… Mariam Abdel Azim is a student in the SMArchS AKPIA Program at MIT Dewey Square, Boston