33
SPATIAL TRANSGRESSION The word place is an interesting one in the English language. In the book In Place / Out of Place, Tim Cresswell tells us that there are many occasions when we can use the word place “one some occasions place to refer to a building or location… On other occasions place turns up in common phrases such as… ‘know your place’ or put in her place’ which have a very different connotation”.30
the word the word ‘she was In these
instances, place does not refer to a specific space but to a place in society. Many times, these are not brought about by rules or laws, rather they are “expectations about behaviour that relate a position in a social structure to actions in space”31 I thought it might be interesting to substitute the word place with one of its synonyms; ‘know your space’ or ‘she was put in her space’. This conjugates a more physical image in our head about expectations of behaviour that relate a position in society to a position in space. Therefore, space as well as place can be used to represent social structures. These structures, whether physical or mental, can be created, reproduced and defended. A moment of transgression marks the shift from the accepted norm of a space towards a challenge of its function in society. Changes in space can be used to shape the normative world, but they can also be used to interrogate this same world. In architecture, transgression is a prominent method of interrogating space and question the relation between place and space. Space has an important role to play when dealing with power relation. The qualities of space make them powerful strategic tools of power but can also help make acts of resistance highly visible and often appear outrageous. By continuously repeating the way we create, organise, and interact
with
space,
we
reinforce
the
established
norms.
Acts
of
transgression can direct us (intentionally or unintentionally) to issues in social and spatial structures.
30
(Cresswell, 1996, p. 3)
31
(Cresswell, 1996, p. 3)
SPACE WARS