Senseable City Report

ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНАЯ ПРОГРАММА 2011/12

STRELKA

EDUCATION PROGRAMME 2011/12

RESEARCH REPORT SENSEABLE CITY MOSCOW

RESEARCH REPORT SENSEABLE CITY MOSCOW

ДИРЕКТОР Карло Ратти

DIRECTOR Carlo Ratti

ЗАМЕСТИТЕЛИ ДИРЕКТОРА Ассаф Бидерман, Деннис Френчман

ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Assaf Biderman, Dennis Frenchman

ПРЕПОДАВАТЕЛЬ Даша Парамонова

SUPERVISOR Daria Paramonova

СТУДЕНТЫ Елена Быкова, архитектор, Москва; Екатерина Изместьева, исследователь, Санкт-Петербург; Филипп Кац, архитектор, Казань; Наталья Копейкина, урбанист, Санкт-Петербург; Татьяна Мамаева, дизайнер, Санкт-Петербург; Карлос Медельин, архитектор, исследователь; Ирина Рудниченко, культуролог, Омск; Анна Сиприкова, архитектор, Москва

STUDENTS Elena Bykova, architect, Moscow; Ekaterina Izmestieva, researcher, St. Petersburg; Philipp Kats, architect, Kazan; Natalia Kopeikina, urbanist, St. Petersburg; Tatyana Mamaeva, designer, St. Petersburg; Carlos Medellin, architect/researcher, Bogota; Irina Rudnichenko, cultural studies specialist; Anna Siprikova, architect, Moscow

ЭКСПЕРТЫ-КОНСУЛЬТАНТЫ Александр Аузан, экономист; Байрам Анаков, ИТ-консультант, Василий Гатов, журналист, медиа-аналитик; Юлия Добина, PR менеджер; Эдуард Хайман, интерактивный дизайнер, Алекс Хоу, архитектор; Анна Ищенко, архитектор; Евгения Куйда, журналист; Сергей Лалов, программист; Дмитрий Левинец, активист; Дина Лун, журналист; Александр Музыченко, программист; Анна Милицкая, архитектор; Нашид Набиан, архитектор, исследователь; Федор Новиков, градостроитель; Антон Польский, художник, активист; Адам Пруден, дизайнер, исследователь; Артур Песатуро, координатор, Senseable City Lab , MIT; Пруденс Робинсон, исследователь; Стефан Сиер, исследователь; Вадим Смахтин, интерактивный дизайнер; Питер Сигрист, исследователь; Сергей Шпилько, глава комитета по туризму г. Москвы; Анна Трапкова, культуролог; Арно Труссе, руководитель исследования; Энтони Ванки, научный сотрудник; Дитмар Офенхубер, медиа художник и исследователь; Илья Осколков-Ценципер, дизайнер, медиаэксперт; Данияр Юсупов, градостроитель, архитектор; Максим Яхонтов, медиа дизайнер

EXTERNAL EXPERTS Alexander Ausan, economist; Bayram Annakov, IT consultant; Vasily Gatov, journalist, media-analist; Yulia Dobina, PR manager; Eduard Haiman, interactive designer; Alex Haw, artist, architect; Anna Ischenco, architect; Eugeniya Kuyda, journalist; Sergey Lalov, programmer; Dmitriy Levinets, social activist; Dina Lun, journalist; Anna Militskaya, architect; Alexander Muzychenko, programmer; Nashid Nabian, architect, resercher; Fedor Novikov, architect, urban planner; Anton Polsky, artist, activist; Adam Pruden, designer, researcher; Arthur Pesaturo, administrative assistant, Senseabale City Lab, MIT; Prudence Robinson, researcher; Stefan Seer, researсher; Vadim Smakhtin, interactive designer; Peter Sirgist, researcher; Sergey Shpilko, Head of the Tourism Committee in the Moscow government; Anna Trapkova, cultural studies specialist; Arnaud Trousset, head of research; Anthony Vanky, researcher; Dietmar Offenhuber, media artist and researcher; Ilya Oskolkov-Tsentsiper, designer, media expert; Daniyar Yusupov, urban planner, architect; Maxim Yahontov, media designer

SENSEABLE CITY LAB

SENSEABLE CITY LAB

После распада СССР на свет появилось новое государство. На смену советской модели пришел капитализм. Москва оказалась в эпицентре перемен, затронувших всю страну. Четкая структура модернистского советского города стала наполняться новым содержанием, новыми ценностями и законами. Изменились люди, для которых открылись новые виды деятельности.

Following the collapse of the USSR, Russia has appeared as a new state. The socialist model was suddenly replaced with capitalism, and the capital, Moscow, has found itself at the epicenter of change.

The modernist city has seen been filled with new meaning, new values and new laws. One of the most important changes can be seen in the people themselves, who embraced a new set of activities.

Today, with help of new tools, we can describe the fragmented, multilayered city, and create a consistent portrait of its intangible and unknown layers.

Мы еще не понимаем, что такое новая Москва. Но можем попробовать, с помощью современных инструментов и цифровых технологий, попытаться описать этот недавно возникший город, создать карту его неосязаемых и неизведанных слоев. Интернет — особое пространство и люди там ведут себя по-другому. Они чаще создают сообщества, больше проявляют гражданскую активность, и главное, при помощи мобильных устройств, создают непрерывный комментарий к своей деятельности. Цифровые данные, произведенные горожанами, отражают сложное устройство города и его динамики. В них можно увидеть прогулки пешеходов и течение транспорта, движение экономики, преступности и политической жизни, направление коммуникаций, состояние окружающей среды, проявления ненависти и любви. Группа студентов Института медиа, архитектуры и дизайна «Стрелка», совместно с Senseable City LAB Массачусетского технологического института, изучала цифровые следы, оставленные в сети обитателями Москвы (Чекины Foursquare, привязанные к карте города записи в Twitter и фотографии на Flickr), чтобы на их основании разработать предложения по улучшению реальной городской среды. Студенты не только анализировали данные, но и на практике меняли городское пространство. Формулируя свои основные задачи, они сотрудничали с московским Комитетом по туризму. По итогам совместной работы был разработан бриф, задавший направление проектных предложений. Основная его идея в том, что Москва — заложник стереотипов, и ей катастрофически не хватает новых маршрутов и точек притяжения, как для горожан, так и для приезжих. Новые инструменты и новые цели

Life on the web is different in Russia. Inhabitants of the virtual world are more likely to create communities and organize civil activities. The data they leave behind helps us to understand the intricate interconnections of the city’s physical design and networks: traffic, pedestrian flow, economies, crime, politics, communication, environment, health, love, hatred, and more.

A team of students at Strelka Institute of Media, Architecture and Design, in collaboration with MIT Senseable City Lab, analyzed the virtual layers of Moscow, and formulated real-life solutions to the problems of urban environment.

Their work started with extraction of the most accessible data on virtual activity, i.e. Foursquare check-ins, geolocated Tweets and pictures. The collected data became a basis for their project proposals.

Students not only investigated, but they actually participated in the redesign of the city. To take advantage of the digital opportunities in real life, students visited the Moscow Tourism Committee and articulated the issue. After this meeting students developed a brief, which lead them through the design process.

The idea behind the brief stems from Moscow's desperate lack of new paths and attraction points, both for locals and for tourists. These paths and points could motivate people to discover places beyond their guidebook and to see otherwise invisible parts of the city through a new lens.

должны побуждать людей находить то, что остается за рамками путеводителей, замечать элементы города, которые, даже оставаясь невидимыми, определяют специфику крупнейшего постсоветского мегаполиса. Всего студенты разработали восемь проектных предложений, объединенных общей целью: создать новое качество городской среды с использованием современных технологий — и научить, наконец, город взаимодействовать со своими потерянными и сбитыми с толку жителями.

All in all, the students have created eight project proposals, which seek to improve communication between the urban environment and its forlorn, bewildered inhabitants.

This book is designed for personal, non-commercial use. You must not use it in any other way, and, except as permitted under applicable law, you must not copy, translate, publish, licence or sell the book without our consent.

Kiev

Kiev 13763

Moscow

Singapore

Moscow 86251 New York 118010 San Francisco 50552 Singapore 96941

Mall

Tokyo 90510

Kiev

Home (private) Park

New York San Francisco Moscow

Kiev Tokyo San Francisco Singapore Singapore New York Tokyo

Moscow

Tokyo

San Francisco New York

unique users

“normal distribution” line axis of publicity

angle of “publicity” check ins

Kiev

Moscow

New York

San Francisco

Singapore

Tokyo

Citizen Stranger Regular user Activist

voting

navigation private actions public action

Event Manager

big event

Anybody

cool idea

info map

Park Manager

management

Businessman

partnership

Curator Expert

promoting consulting

rules and demands

public voting

Public Activity consultations with manager

new territories

Project Manager

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10.2011

11.2011 08.2011

12.2011

01.2012 03.2012

Virtueel platform research: ownership in the hibrid city

02.2012

03.2012

day week month

NAVIGATING MOSCOW SUBJECTIVITY

SUBJECTIVE

Analysis of subjective perception of the city The Open Sign project proposal

OBJECTIVE

Irina Rudnichenko

ANALYSIS

The new situation With the development of digital technology and the appearance of digital media (as well as online versions of traditional media, there are completely new social media), the “subjective” layer of reality became more reachable for observers as well as for those who want to express themselves. The resulting changes in the status and importance of the “subjective” layer has been described by many researchers. For instance, in the quote below the authors proclaim that the “subjective” layer is now more relevant than “objective” and “known” ones.

The analytical part of this report starts with a theoretical description of different layers of perception of reality in general, and a city in particular.

The paper talks about the correlation between those perceptions, describes how they have changed with new technologies and then explores those changes using the example of Moscow.

INTRODUCTION

“Physical location and physical territory, for so long the only grid on which difference could be mapped, need to be replaced by multiple grids that enable us to see that connection and contiguity - more generally the representation of territory - varies considerably by factors such as class, gender, races and sexuality.” 1

Three layers of perception The Senseable City Lab specializes in sensing and actuating city functions with new digital technologies. Now, with development of these technologies, it is possible to explore cities in real-time.. But these new capabilities have changed not only the ways of doing research, but also they have affected daily life of citizens. Despite the fact that they might not be interested in the analysis of the cities or building new

My answer is that tourists today have become more demanding: they don't want to wait and they don't want to explore the city following standard recommendations. They want to see live through their own, personalized and subjective story of exploration and they want it immediately. On the other hand, I believe, that on some points people are more open now: they are ready to learn how to use new devices to win some time or new relevant information.

new possibilities, like the capability to get any data or communication

Because of the beliefs I described above, both parts of my research report are focused on the subjective perception of the city in the age of

The starting point for my research was that the Moscow Department for Tourism became a client for the projects of Senseable City Lab Moscow, with the initial question “How can we make Moscow more friendly for tourists?” Taking into account the focus of the Senseable lab itself I

what I mean by the subjective perception of the city and how this idea could work on certain examples of Moscow during the political protests speculative and futuristic idea named “The Open Sign,” which explores what the tourism and navigation of subjective perceptions could be like.

in my research before I could come up with a proposal:

How can tourism be transformed to make new changed spaces more open and inviting?

spaces more open and inviting? anytime affect the behavior of those who decided to visit the real physical city?

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The environment around human beings and the city consists of several layers of information. as das Ding an sich (“the thing in itself”). This reality exists objectively, without correlation with human beings, therefore people cannot affect it. The second layer is “the known reality” or “measurable” reality. That reality consists of aseries of assumptions about “the objective reality”, such as time, matter and space, and it is built on perceptions of the world through human physical receptors. Theoretically, a human being could have seen that reality. But in fact the ability to perceive “the known reality” could be easily shadowed by the next informational layer, “the subjective reality”, which is the layer of societalal assumptions. For instance, humans for a long period of time were not able to understand and agree with the heliocentric system of the Solar System, not because they were blind and did not have the physical ability to see the planets and the sun. Even after several insights and experiments of Nicolaus Copernicus the society forced individual humans to continue to ignore some more relevant information. That last layer is the layer on which human beings interact to each other, build society and agrees on common points of view and assumptions about “the known reality” to make communication withinsociety easier. This layer is extremely important for effective communication between people.

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Figure 1. Age of Russian political protesters 1

Figure 4. Semanticmap for "Rossyiskaya Gazeta" Figure 2. Political views of Russian protesters 1

Figure 3. The most important thing in life for Russian protesters 1

Subjective perception and the Part 1. Descriotion of the viewer Moscow space This theoretical and abstract theory can be applied to Moscow. Since the advent of digital communications the subjective layer of the city became more important and affected the objective and quasi-objective layer.

This research explores the political protests in Moscow that occurred from December 2011 until February 2012. Due to the emergence of new opportunity to catch and describe the way different people subjectively percept physical and meta-physical reality. On the other hand, citizens also obtained the opportunity to form and express their subjective opinion in real-time, which led to a more elaborate picture of different subjective perceptions.

produce the two subjective perceptions I am interested in. One group are the users of social networks who actively express their disagreement with the current political situation in the country. Others are the journalists and editors of Rossyiskaya Gazeta, who express the certain position as employees of the main Russian governmental newspaper. For the description of each position I use the information and sources which seem to be relevant for them. For instance, people from Facebook are described by the information they provided on their pages and by their activity in the Internet. And creators of the Rossyiskaya Gazeta are described bythe information they gave in more traditional media.

Let us start from the Facebook protesters. Right after the protest, the research institution BasiliskLab 3 from social networks of people who agreed to attend the protest. In

The focus of the research is to see the subjective layer of the city, the layer of subjective perceptions. I chose two points of view of the riots.

research: age, political views and “the most important thing in life”. You one is the largest protesters’ Facebook group, called“We were at Bolotnaya and we’ll come back” 2 the media for coordinating the riots.

average portrait of the participant of the protest (or maybe the way an average protester wants to be seen) is: (S)he is around 24 years old, tends to say that self-development and family are the most important things in life (or, in other words they are more interested in their personal

who are those people who produce content about protests for social media and for Rossyiskaya Gazeta. In other words, I examined who are the people whose subjective perception of the riots I am going to

views, almost all of the protesters in the social media state that they have no clear political views (14 % say they are indifferent, 16% moderate and 13% monarchists (which could be counted as a joke).

The focus of the research is the layer of subjective perceptions of riots in Moscow

Part 2. Semantic map of subjective perception The next step in the research is making a semantic map of the subjective how that day was depicted by Rossyiskaya Gazeta and by the public wall in the Facebook group “We were at Bolotnaya”. This date is the Monday after Saturday's protest at Moscow called “The White Ring”, when cars of protesters made a center of the city. I picked the date a day after the event due to the fact that Rossyiskaya Gazeta does not release issues over

and on the map it is written in bigger font, and the phrases about the opposition from articles (such as “cannot”, “I don't want”, “intelligentsia” and so on) are the context for the issue. On the map they are put under the topic issue in a smaller font. After highlighting those groups I examined the correlations between connotations and associations around different issues. I divided the possible connections between two types: one is the connection between synonyms (in black), for issues that have similar connotations, and another one is the connection between antonyms (in red), for issues that seem to be contradicted.

Continuing the example with the “opposition”: you can see how this issue is positively connected with issue of “candidate” through the connotation of their

By comparing semantic maps one could investigate how different the perception of the Russian political scene is.

is associated with the phrase “cannot” and the “candidate” with the phrase “impossible to solve”. Inthis example it is clear that despite the connotation itself having a negative estimation, but between two negative connotations could be established a positive correlation, or in other words, Rossyiskaya Gazeta sees similarities between the opposition and the candidate for president and gives a negative connotation to both.

comments which were published in both sources for that date: for the Facebook group it was about 108 pages of A4 (only comments and links, without including whole texts of articles (but I included them in my 16 pages of A2. The basis for the research is a speculative attempt to imagine a human who read only certain source of the information for the certain date and depict what would be his subjective perception of the objective reality of protests in Moscow after that reading.

Thus, I got two semantic maps of subjective perception. By comparing them one could investigate how different the perception of the Russian political scene is from those two sources. For instance, the Facebook protesters also have the issue of “the opposition”. But their connotations include such phrases as “compromise”, “split” and “united”. Clearly the authors from Facebook are more interested in the internal organization and life of the opposition than outside issues of politics and governance.

connected to the political life of Moscow, which are grouped by issues.

For instance, one of the repeating topics in Rossyiskaya Gazeta is the issue of “Opposition” which is usually described in the negative context.

Therefore, “Opposition” is the name for the issue

Talking about people who have a subjective perception in Rossyiskaya

describe. The second part is the semantic map describing what the subjective reality of both sources looks like and building the connections and correlations which exists in those realities. And the last part is two geographical maps, which represents the differences in understanding of the physical space according to subjective perception.

of the Russian government. For instance, all Russian laws go into effect after being published there. Beside publishing laws, the newspaper specializes inproviding the position of the government about political, economical and relevant world events. According to the statistics provided by the newspaper 4 an average reader is around 50 years old and works as a director or specialist in a company (17% and 20%) or are in retirement (26%).

Figure 5. Semantic map for "Rossyiskaya Gazeta".

Connotations for opposition 31

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Figure 6. Semantic map for Facebook group of protesters. Connotations for opposition

Figure 7. Geographic map of perception of world news by Facebook group of protesters

Part 3. Geographic map of subjective perception

Figure 8. Geographic map of perception of world news by Rossyiskaya Gazeta In the next section, I focus on the project named “The Open Sign” which is aimed at helping people navigate the subjective layer of the city. cannot be fully available even for those who inhabit the city, and the second layer, “the known reality”, is on the one hand common for anyone and on the other hand is not really relevant for exploring the uniqueness of a new place, the Open Sign navigation and translation focuses on the third, subjective informational layer of the city.

The last stage of the analytical part is to compare how some objective events could be seen or ignored from different points of view. At the one is built around the issue of Rossyiskaya Gazeta, while the other is built on the wall on the Facebook group of protesters. On the map, different world events are marked by red circles, and the radius of each circle means how often the source mentions the news for that circle.

For example, on the map for Facebook protesters, you can see the big

PROJECT PROPOSAL

increase of the population of settlements, the process becomes more sophisticated, but the systems become more inaccessible.

Project description

At the same time, the layer of socially subjective assumptions becomes less visible for foreigners and tourists with the development of technologies and society. Firstly, society and the city became too big to retain the solid layer of assumptions. Now the city is divided into various sub-cultures and communities, each of which establishes and represents its own view of reality. And for a stranger, it is almost impossible to navigate between all those assumptions without being lost. Secondly, with the developing of technologies, communicating between people became remote and the tourists can not now understand the city just by placing themselves into physical reality of the place. To make cities

The main objective of the Open Sign project is to show and translate the subjective informational layers that cover the physical reality of the city. The project proposes a new system of navigation in the city. This system is based on augmented reality technology and aims to make digital information available to people. The focus of the project is to build a navigation system which would always show up-to-date information and can adjust itself to the certain user's requests and needs. The Open Sign gives users an opportunity to know the city through the unique perception of various people and communities who inhabit it, not only

protest. On the map for Rossyiskaya Gazeta you cannot see anything so this protest had not been mentioned at all. In the same way you could compare different parts of the world as they were seen by two sources and explore how differently the world is represented.

Such comparisons are only possible using digital technology, which allows us to record the interests of the protesters though a new medium.

is comparable to the concept of an informational market with pure competition, which emerges after the era of monopolistic control of information in the old economy. At the same time, the project gives its users an opportunity to participate in creating layers of information about the city, to express themselves and to enhance the system with new relevant information.

Translating and navigating the third layer

Figure 10. Geographic map of perception of world news

by Rossyiskaya Gazeta. Central Europe and Russia

The Open Sign gives users an opportunity to know the city through the unique perception of vrious people and communities With time and the development of technologies, the process of establishing those common assumptions about reality has changed.

Starting with gathering the community around the village well, and public and open discussions among all members of the community, with the

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System description The Open Sign project works through augmenting the reality of the city with digital and informational layers. The system is able to get different feeds of information thatexist in the city, such as geo-tagged media user-generated content (Twitter, Facebook comments on places, etc.).

As described above (part “Three layers of perception”), society establishes different assumptions about reality and the existence of the city to make communication between members of that society easier.

But the same action which makes interaction inside the society more effective could become a big problem for someone who does not belong to the community.

Figure 9. Geographic map of perception of world news by Facebook group of protesters. Central Europe and Russia

foreigners in the city: (1) It provides them with an easily understandable picture of interaction and intersection between different sub-communities to navigate as a tourist; and (2) It gives access to remote, invisible information about the third layer, or assumptions about the city.

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parameters: like showing only the historical part, or only the mythological part, or information only by research institutions. This part also, like the previous one, does not update automatically without moderation, due to

Personal Interactions Users can have access to the two working modes of the system. The

by people who do understand the city.

and understand the city through augmented reality technology implemented in the city space. The second mode allows users to add new comments and news to the existing system and express personal perceptions about the environment. A user can navigate throughout and

which shows real-time news and places them onto the ground. If the news had been geo-tagged it would have been immediately placed

communities. One of them is the city government, which shows the

information by choosing certain media source they are interested in, like it can shows news only from The Moscow Times, or certain topics, such as showing only political or cultural events.

(basic) navigation� and it includes alphabetic and language translation of the street signs, information about bus schedules, openinghours and average prices of restaurants, searches by address, etc. This feed is not open and has moderators who update information about the space.

The second mode of the Open Sign gives users an opportunity to contribute toward city navigation and translation and to express themselves. The mode on the one hand allows users to place their own comment and news in the city, and on the other hand it shows news and comments of other users.

users the phyiscal-geographycal layer of the city. Inside this part a

Technology

So one more solution is implementing the augmentation into windows of shops and cafes. On one hand, it would be easier to use the system for

The system is able to provide users with navigation as through individual devices, and through special public infrastructure. It is important to have both public and individual devices, because many people do not have smartphones, or experience problems using them abroad. By giving an opportunity for both public and individual usage, the Open Sign increases its audience, which is now limited only by the level of education and capability to deal with electronic devices. For the project, it is crucially important to involve as many users as possible, because one of the feeds consists mainly of the users-generated content.

hand the owners of the places would repair the system and look after them.

The personal devices work through scanning QR-codes with user smartphones. QR-codes allow rapid and easy dissemination of the information and they do not require GPRs, therefore they could be used almost everywhere. After installing a special smartphone application, users can scan QR-codes placed in the city and get an access to the

The public version of the project uses existing physical infrastructure of the city in order to enhance it with new information. Theoretically it could use any transparent surface in the city to augment the reality, existing infrastructure of public pay-phones and another is the windows in public places like shops and cafes.

There are several challenges in the augmented reality technology. One of them is developing a device with the opportunity to see the reality through a big transparent screen. When one uses that device it is important to put augmentation precisely at the line from the user's eyes to the building which is augmented. To solve the problem, the Open Sign project proposes individual cabinets with transparent walls and recognition cameras, which recognize the position of the spectator's eyes. After recognition, the processor with 3D model of the surroundings models the angle of the viewer's view and puts augmentation at the right place. On top of transparent screen there is a multi-touch screen, which But the system of cabinets is not so perfect, due to vandalism at the city.

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photo by Tekhnoslav Bergomot, http://gagadget.com/cellphones/200903-12-tyaga_k_ prekrasnomu_beglyi_obzor_telefona_lg_ks660

Urban Interactions

photo by Democrats.ru, http://democrats.ru/wps/archives/8446

Vasnetsov, Viktor "The knight on a crossroads" (1882) The State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg

CONCLUSIONS

Current events on the world political scene shows that ways of communicating in society have changed. Now digital information and communication cannot stay anymore only inside virtual reality; instead,it political protests against unfair elections in Moscow, which happened

Subjective perceptions of Moscow space

networks and then became real protests in the city. And in turn, the physical spaces in which the protests occurred were changed.

To conclude the research, I did an analysis of how subjective perception could affect the city. Using the example of protests in Moscow, you could sometimes see that the same objectively existing situation became very different after passing through subjective perception. I developed this

Information and media that were created in digital space are starting will be impossible to speak about virtual reality, because nothing would stay inside virtual boundaries. Therefore the new age of media and communication starts with developing a new form of reality that exists in

perceptions about the protests. movements and rallies as events aimed at destroying their power, they tried to block the city center with police. Thishappened in May 2012, when all the exitss from the metro in the city center were blocked and nobody could come into the city center by metro. That is why now it is no longer

The new age of media and communication starts with developing a new form of reality that exists in between physical and virtual spaces

its client, The Moscow Department of Tourism, I can say that to make Moscow tourist-friendly we have to provide tourists with access to this without knowing the reasons for this, would never want to explore the city again. But if (s)he had access to the subjective layer, to the motivations of citizens, this experience would have become a unique and fascinating adventure.

between physical and virtual spaces. Its is Augmented Reality.

The Open Sign project is inspired by the idea of enhancing physical spaces of the city with information from digital and virtual worlds. Current media and geographical studies 5 proposed the new term “geo-media� for media that are going to go back to the locality and times when news existed around the village well. Augmenting the reality of the city with digital information will certainly change the cityscape. It can transform not only the perception and the level of understanding the city, but it also demands new infrastructure such as screens and special lenses for seeing the augmentation.

1. Gupta, Akhil, and James Ferguson, "Beyond "Culture": Space, Identity, and the Politics of Difference," Cultural Anthropology 7 (1992): 6-23

3. Basilisklab, accessed June 14, 2012, http://www.basilisklab.com 4. http://www.mediageo.ru/fedpressa/ezhednev/ros-gazeta.html 5. Thielmann, Tristan "Locative Media and Mediated Localities," Aether. The journal of Media geography V.A (2010): 1-17 37

38

6 800 000 of tourist/year

40.0% business trip

99%

prefer to stay inside airport while transit

38.4% tourism

14.6% private trip

25-34 34% 35-49 46% 50-64 18% 65+ 2%

29% female 71% male

26% 21% 352 138

19% 6%

188 415

6% 2010

ARRIVALS

flights/mounth 10

2011

DEPARTURE

1400

flights/mounth 10

1400

READING BAR/CAFE 25% SLEEPING 8% DUTYFREE 15% RUNNING 7% WALKING 10%

35%

22% NO YES 78%

15% 1 20% 2 3 5% 4 10% 5 17% 30% 6-10 15% 10

Virtual world

Virtual world

YES 80% NO 20%

city> airport> city

Passport Control

Travelator

long waiting

boring way

Duty Free

only shopping

WC

nothing to see

Y

Cit Sp

Russian tourists

Foreign tourists

Muscovites

shows photos taken in last n minutes, hours or day on the map PLACES are yellow EVENTS are blue color intensity represents rating, size represents amount of recommendtions

layers: main: Places, events and Places are shown on the map events: events are shown Places: places are shown

ADD PLACES OR EVENTS

search on the map share, share events and places

MOSCOW OPENER Analisys: Dynamic of events in Moscow Project proposal: Moscow Opener Natalia Kopeikina

ANALYSIS I Sources and tools INTRODUCTION

Moscow as a capital of Russia very often becomes the only destination for tourists who visit Russia and for them it is the face of the country. The number of tourists visiting Moscow in 2011 was about 1.7 million people in Paris it was over 7 million people in 2011, and in Saint Petersburg it was about 5 million people in 2011.

What are the reasons why a city with such a unique history of over 850 years not leading as a tourist destination? What problems face tourists in Moscow? The main problem is that city is not transparent, especially for in Moscow (lack of signs in English, even in the metro) (2) the “lost in translation� problem, as not many Muscovites speak foreign languages,

and number of checkins and venues by categories of place. The tool for collecting these data was sketch in Processing.

research was focused on the analysis and aimed at perceptions of actual changes in Moscow citizen's behavior because of the impact of the internet. To answer this question I explored user generated content in

only for tourists but also for Muscovites themselves.

The city is multilayered, it consists of severak levels: tangible and intangible. By tangible I mean built environment, by intangible – digital data about the city. For tourists lack of access to intangible data about Due to this, the main objective of my research was to explore how, through analyzing intangible layers of the city, we can change the built environment and make city more convenient and transparent for both Muscovites and tourists.

graphs of events based on amount of events versus likes to see the most popular areas in the city. of the major information portals about events in Moscow and (ii) It has had a long period of activity (in operation since 1999) and hence a large audience (but it should be noted that it is mainly a Russian-speaking audience as the web site has no English version).

Foursquare gives information about the number of checkins and venues by category, on the basis of which one can determine the most visited places among the users of the application. One of the factors why Foursquare was chosen is that it is an international resource. That gives an overview on data about international users of this service in Moscow.

Also Foursquare enables users to see the actual picture of the events taking place in that mode in real time.

Also norms of security are very intense in Moscow. There are all possible types of security control: cameras, metal detectors, security guards etc. security guards in Moscow - every tenth citizen! Security has become a constant part of Moscow's landscape.

From Foursquare were collected data about number of unique users 61 73

These sources were chosen because they provide the greatest coverage of the audience as well as provide opposing views of how users perceive the digital landscape of the events in Moscow in comparison with the physical distribution of places.

It should be noted that the data do not cover all residents and tourists of Moscow. On the one hand these data are more relevant for certain groups of people which are involved in technology and using this application. On the other hand this is a special type of data, a kind of unconscious reaction to a physical phenomenon, in our case to places of events in Moscow.

activities in Moscow. The average number of web site visitors is about 4.5 million people. Users of this informational portal are local people (it is

Foursquare is a location-based social networking website for mobile devices, such as smart phones. Users in the Moscow area total 38,000 people , and most users are international.

be a part of certain social group, according to which people could have or not to have access to some places, (4) reputation of Moscow as unfriendly city (different prices for foreigners and citizens of the Russian Federation in museums) (5) lack of public places in the city etc.

Contrasting and comparing data I have made a comparative analysis of user activity in the city over the last year, analyzing separately Russianspeaking and non Russian speaking users as well as plotting data about number of checkins on the map. According to the data, I compared the physical distribution of events and users' attendance at these places.

62 74

Nowadays digital technologies play an important role in city life. We interact with digital content every day: news on Facebook or new checkins on Foursquare appear on the screens of our smartphone every few minute during the day. Nowadays we live within constant "digital noise". Drifting data from this “noise” generate new layers of the city.

These layers are not tangible but very powerful.

the digital layers on the built environment.

The analysis consists of two parts (1) intangible: an analysis of the

dynamics of cultural life in Moscow, people's digital activity in places of culture, and its popularity through mapping their location and concentration, and (2) tangible: a design proposal of the potentials and

Cinemas. The total number of cinemas is 137 but those visited by tourists and expats total only 6.5%*. What is also interesting is that the number of venues in this category is 256 which is two times less than the number of physical cinemas. That happens because people add new venues in cinemas like “cinema hall # 7”. That could be motivated by aspiration to “show-up” in cinemas.

perspective buildings for public visits.

Cinemas are distributed in across the whole city area but the most popular are in the central and north-west parts of the city. It is interesting that the number of "likes" does not depend on central location of cinemas. The explanation for this could be that cinemas are mostly located in shopping malls located near the metro stations, which makes them very accessible for visitors.

Four categories of places were analyzed: museums, theaters, cinemas and night clubs.

In order to understand how people perceived places of culture in Moscow I mapped people’s digital activity in each of four categories and compared these maps with maps of the physical distribution of these places. Each category was compared in two ways - mapping and graphical visualization. Maps were made according to Foursquare

Check-in's map

Physical distribution

Exponential graph of events amount vs number of «likes»

Average number

30

category their digital and physical footprints and made an graph of

80

metro ring

II Dynamic of cultural life in Moscow

25 20 15

70 60 50 40 30

10 5

Data

20

likes

10

0 number inside the outside the Garden ring Garden ring

Museums. Despite the fact that there are in total 184 museums in Moscow, less then half of them have venues on Foursquare. One of the explanations of this phenomenon could be that in these places people mostly want to “show-up”. The total number of museums is 184 but those visited by tourists are only 5% *(*according the data from Foursquare). That could be an indicator for the Moscow government to increase promotion for these not visited by tourists museums. According to the Foursquare the most people visited the Kremlin and the Multimedia Art Museum. Kremlin and Multimedia Art museum.

According to the graph of the number of museums versus the number of likes, museums are mostly concentrated in the central part of Moscow's

0

mon

tue

wed

thu

fri

sat

sun

Night clubs. According to Foursquare checkin the most visited night clubs are in the Kitay Gorod area. The total number of night clubs is 384 of which those visited by tourists total about 10%*. There are 384 night clubs in Moscow but the number of venues is 900. This is partly because there

museums are The State Tretyakov Gallery and Pushkin Museum.

The prevalence of clubs among all categories shows that they are one of the most popular type of places for leisure. Night clubs are mostly concentrated in the center and north-western part of Moscow. The largest number of events happen on weekends.

Physical distribution

Check-in's map Exponential graph of events amount vs number of «likes»

Physical distribution

Average number Exponential graph of events amount vs number of «likes»

metro ring

30 25 20 15

150 120

40

90 30

60

10 5 0

likes outside the Garden ring

90

60

20

30

number inside the Garden ring

Average number 120

50

metro ring

Check-in's map

10

0

mon

tue

wed

thu

fri

sat

sun 0

likes number inside the outside the Garden ring Garden ring

30

0

mon

tue

wed

thu

fri

sat

Theaters. There are gaps between physical distribution and digital footprints in the theaters category of venues. In Moscow there are 160 theaters and only 86 of them have venues. The most visited are very few: The Bolshoi Theater and MDM theatre. One of the reasons for the high number of checkins in The Bolshoi Theater could be that recently it was open after reconstruction. The total numbers of theaters in Moscow is 160, only 3%* were visited by tourists. According to analysis of venues and checkins in this category it could be concluded that more popular theaters have modern performances. rather than classical ones. the most visited theatres are the Moscow Art Theatre and Fomenko Theatre.

Physical distribution

Exponential graph of events amount vs number of «likes»

25 20 15

5 0

63

70 60 50 40

20

likes number inside the Garden ring

10

outside the Garden ring

0

relevant for groups of people who use these sources.

If we were to compare the physical and digital footprint of activities we can see that only 30-40 percent of places have their digital footprints, and this digital trace is made mainly by locals; for tourists this number is lower: 6-10 percent.

30

10

These maps show what places people see and where they want to “show-up”. What is also interesting is the fact that the most popular places and events frequented by tourists and Muscovites are not identical.

Average number

30

metro ring

Check-in's map

CONCLUSIONS

mon

tue

wed

thu

fri

sat

sun

According to the data can be seen that the potential of a huge number of places of cultural leisure in Moscow remains untapped. Also the prevalence of clubs among all categories shows that Moscow has a reputation as a place for parties but not as the cultural capital of Russia.

The greatest activity occurs around the same place, which speaks of stereotyped thinking as well as the fact that about the other places 64

sun

III Forbidden City Moscow is a city with more than 850 years of history with plenty of unique historical locations, but what do tourists mostly visit in Moscow? concluded only the main tourist attractions, such as the Kremlin and the anything else? And if so how to get there?

There are many stakeholders in Moscow: government, business, local them is not as effective as it could be.

Nuit Blanche as example of successful collaboration The example of the Nuit Blanche festival as a successful collaboration among all stakeholders to reshape the city could be taken into account for the Moscow case study.

Places without a sense of public space

Nuit Blanche is an annual all-night or night-time art festival. With a help of this event the city was turned into the space for art installations,

There are many places in Moscow that have lost their sense of being public places because strong norms of security have made entering nearly impossible. There are several examples of such places.

gatherings, and other activities.

To begin: universities. It is impossible to get into most of them; at the Moscow State University located in one of the Stalinist skyscrapers. It is impossible to get inside MSU without a student card or without an invitation from someone working there.

86% of buildings are closed to the public!

The social impact of such event was very high. According to IPPR people who participate in cultural activities are more likely than the average citizen to have trust in the police, legal system and politicians.

What is very crucial about Nuit Blanche festival besides the social impact $4.9 million economic impact on the city and attracted 800,000 people.

Another example is historical buildings which are now closed for public.

Stakeholders Event Evaluation estimated that the event cost 3 million Euros to host, but generated 30 million Euros in revenue. architecture and avant-garde interior planning. It is nearly impossible to get in because of strong security.

The Petrovsky Palace, designed by the architect Kazakov for Russian with a hotel. Before the revolution, the imperial family used this palace for the trip preparations before the coronation and as a summer cottage.

For the rest of time the residence became a free museum. Now there is no possibility to get in.

The House of Baron Knopp is similar to the Gothic castle built in England in the XVII century. In Soviet times it was held in Moscow City Committee of the Komsomol in the market, and it became the property of Menatep elevations in video cameras and no signage.

The Porcelain Museum was located in the house of Vikulov Morozov in 1930. Now there is a Department of Cultural Heritage Organization of Veterans of the Afghan War. The security guard mentioned that during the Days of Cultural Heritage of Moscow there excursions are allowed here but on the web site for the Department of Cultural Heritage in Moscow there is no information about it.

The effect of all the above mentioned factors is that places with high value are closed, making the city impermeable.

A case study goal of evaluating the possibility of entering a building. As a case study I choose an area for investigation of 1 sq km in the central part of Moscow in the Lubyanka area. This area was chosen because of the high

Role of NGO In Moscow there are about 27000 NGOs and this number is growing, but the participation of citizens is still low, despite the fact that there is in general a positive attitude towards NGOs. Also important is that the potential willingness of citizens to participate in the work of NGOs has increased from 53% to 65% over the last year. Thus the value of NGOs in the perception of the population has grown considerably but actual participation has not increased.

We can conclude from this that despite the lack of real participation there seems to be an increase of the social consciousness of Muscovites and employment in this sector in Russia is still very low, 1.1% (for example in Austria it is 2.2 percent, in Israel 10.2 percent.)

That is why I consider it to be one of the biggest issues of the project how people realize their spontaneous ability to change the environment at personal and local level. socio-economical impact. Therefore I believe that it could be used in Moscow with adaptation to local conditions.

For me it should be based on the principle of sustainable development.

Adequate urban planning means running the city management with responsibility to the existing city canvas (particularly preserving heritage) and to inhabitants. That means public discussions and cooperation with citizens at every stage of the project process.

I’m interested in creating an interactive platform for effective collaboration between local authorities, research centers, the business community and the local community to enable participation of all stakeholders in the project process.

according to the category of possibility of getting in. Colors were chosen - Dark grey - buildings constructed to be closed for public because of their function. Interaction with building is impossible; Red - closed to the public for some reasons by the managing company, there is no available information or tips how to get in; Yellow - partially open to the public or there are known hints how to get in; Green - open to the public.

closed to the public for some reasons by the managing company, there is no available information or tips how to get in

buildings constructed to be closed to public because of their function.

Interaction with building is impossible.

According to obtained data 86 percent of buildings are close to the public! partially open to the public or there are known hints how to get in

Among the buildings marked in red were universities (Moscow Architectural University, Institute of Oriental Studies), National Science and Technology Public Library (the entrance for employees only) and even a cultural center!

open

This phenomenon of closed buildings becomes Moscow reality.

Muscovites do not attach importance to the fact that they cannot get into many of the buildings.

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PROJECT PROPOSAL Concept, strategy and instruments of the project

Instruments and strategy

The city as a living organism changes so often that information in a guidebook is not always as comprehensive and does not meet the real situation. One more important fact is that people are a source of information about the city. Each of us knows a lot of interesting facts about our own yard, the house we live in, the best but unknown bakery or a bar in the neighborhood. All this knowledge is unique but most often it is distributed among a narrow circle of individuals and is not available to visitors. Can we process our common unique knowledge about the city into easily accessible information based on real time data?

Process of opening building will consists of two parts: choosing a proper building and options what to do there.

For this project I want to develop an instrument for evaluating the level of openness of the buildings with help of citizens and visitors. This instrument is a virtual opener. Using this tool, players can open buildings.

Players themselves may reveal ways to penetrate building. It will increase desire enter illegally and to prevent such a situation owners would be open the building themselves.

Application will generate all the information about popularity of the places and when the number of requests according some building becomes critical it will automatically send information about this to a NGO with a proposal to make a connection with a landlord. Then NGO will connect with a landlord and city administration to open building.

With a help of this application the NGO will receive more structured information about activity in the city based on information about decisions made by both tourists and Muscovites.

I believe that interiors are also a part of a city’s tissue and, potentially, its public space. These are places of value that is lost if they are left inaccessible. I think that opening such places to the public has a huge touristic potential, especially taking into account that about six months a year temperature in Moscow stays below 0 C. This is not only an opportunity to discover these places for people, but also raises the question of the appropriateness of any security measures that have arisen spontaneously rather than advisedly.

Game would be a great way of teaching

For changing existing attitude towards public spaces there should be created a system in which the decision to open building for public becomes a “win-win’ situation both for society and for the landlords.

Due to the current bureaucracy in the country I propose that this task be achieved through a crowed-sourced urban game.

and hidden interiors of these buildings

Concept of the project The urban game ‘Moscow Opener’ is a crowd sourced and geo located mobile application.

The aim of the application is to make the city more permeable. The method by which I want to achieve this goal is to increase the level of public awareness of how close and non-transparent Moscow is. I want to show the scale of this phenomenon, and through it to rethink the situation of total closure that arose spontaneously in the wake of earlier Perestroika.

and exciting visitors and the public about the history and stories and architecture

Next step is to create a possible options what to do there, it will be made together with users of application and owners of the building.

For example the roof of the Institute which offers a good view or the courtyard in a cultural center as a place for a picnic or art exhibition.

With help of this application users will - get information about buildings nearby - select places they want to visit and inform landlords about this through the NGO - if building become open for public, see possible activities happening there

Personal Interactions

In each trip one of the most important things about a new destination is interaction and new experiences. The game will give users a possibility to interact with the city using creative languages and will offer different types of experiences.

With help of this application landlords will

This tool would raise public interest in,

The project is a social urban game. It is geo located and crowd-sourced.

The application uses creative languages to talk with users and colors buildings into different intuitively understandable colors.

- attract more visitors from different social groups - could increase revenue

and value of the structures, which would

The status of each place can be changed by players according to changes in the conditions of access. Users are able to comment or give recommendations about how to enter buildings. Users could be given a possibility to estimate the level of availability of the building. Each player receives points for the opening of previously inaccessible buildings (red or yellow on the map) as well as additional points for the instructions on how to get inside.

be a real motivation to the owners for opening them up

This game is made for citizens of Moscow both local and global. For tourists the game will create the possibility to have a quick overview of the level of accessibility of the places near their current position and on the history and stories associated with those places to make the decision-making quicker on whether they are worth opening. For Muscovites this application helps to understand the level of closure of the city and the beauty and meaning of the built environment. This game allows people to interact with built environment.

The task of the game is to create incentives and make a critical mass of people desiring to get inside the building despite the obstacles and security. One of possible solutions to this problem could be the situation when the amount of people hacking a building becomes critical and therefore the landlord will be forced to make visits legal.

The game format is selected precisely to encourage citizen’s participation. Game would be a great way of teaching and exciting visitors and the public about the history and stories and architecture and hidden interiors of these buildings. This tool would raise public interest in, and value of the structures, which would be a real motivation to the owners for opening them up. The game may then be seen as primarily a information and promotion strategy, and secondarily a political/social strategy.

It will also provide the information about what is inside the building and whether it is open for public or not. Also with the help of this project the dialogue between different stakeholders (including citizens) could start.

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FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS possible activities happening in the building

Users

information about the building

The potential of huge number of places of cultural leisure in Moscow remains untapped. There are many places in Moscow that have lost their sense of being public places.

To address this issue my project will increase the level of public awareness of how close and non-transparent Moscow is. It will raise public interest in, and value of the structures, which would be a real motivation to the stakeholders for collaboration. The project will be primarily a information and promotion strategy, and secondarily a political/social strategy.

Project will process our common unique knowledge about the city into easily accessible information based on real time data.

Landlord

NGO

connection with landlord

proposal to make a connection with landlord

Government

Urban Interactions

Technology

The reason for creation of this game lies in the current "my home is my castle" situation in Moscow.

Urban game ‘Moscow Opener’ is a crowd sourced and geo located mobile application. It is set on GPS and accelerometer technology for phones, which give possibility to find persons location in the real time regime.

The main purpose of the game is to change the existing urban fabric in Moscow. There are two main purposes of the game i) to highlight the problem of closed public spaces ii) to create an environment in which landlords will be encouraged to open the space inside.

In my opinion to solve successfully the problem of the lack of transparency of the city it is necessary to understand the reason why buildings were closed. I believe that very often the reason for these places to be closed for public is not security but the unexplainable and irrational habit to keep something restricted and inaccessible.

With the help of this social urban game I try to show that it is important to be more transparent. Thus information about interesting buildings becomes more visible for the public and the governmental and public sector.

Users will mark buildings according to the level of their availability and could leave their comment about some interesting facts about it. The main objective of this application is to pay attention to the problem of ability to access and lack of transparency in the city. The practical applying of Opener game is to answer the question "what's inside?" in real time.

The user is logged in the application and receives map information on the availability of the building using clear concept languages, so that the language wouldn’t be a barrier.

1. IPPR, 2006, Culture, Participation and Civil Renewal 2. Toronto, 2008, Plans unveiled for 3rd annual Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 3. Cherubini. S & Iasevoli. G, 2006, Stakeholders Event Evaluation: Notte Bianca Case Study 4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuit_Blanche 5. State program of Moscow "Development of tourism and recreation industry in the years 2012-2016 ", http://s. mos.ru/common/upload/Razvitie_industrii_otdykha_i_turizma[1].pdf 6. http://www.4sqstatistics.com/Moscow/users-statistics

GEOLOCATED

CROWD-SOURCED

REAL TIME organiz_zf2.pdf

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PARA CITIES

The Kremlin:

Carlos Medellin

What would happen if the thoughts and longings of the citizen’s begin to be freely expressed? By doing so, enabling everyone to get attracted and become an attraction, breaking the taboos on how to approach strangers and the unknown. What would happen if as citizens you have a reactive surface that is out in the open but under your control? The aim is to use and to explore the city differently, to geographically redefine Moscow by discovering and exposing its geography of desire.

The flows of digital data and the possibilities of social interaction have increased, thanks to the opportunities offered by today’s Internet networks. These characterize contemporary dynamics that are creating urban realities. It is a rapid tool that operates in real time and amid a constant flow of information that could empower change and understanding in a faster way. Usually geography and mapping exercises are concentrated on visible facts, but today there is a great amount of digital information generated as we use and/or navigate urban spaces. This information draws a different map, allowing us to see behind barriers. In this research, this digital data is combined with observation so as to obtain the most accurate portrait of the city.

This research looks into the situations that drive humans to create and repurpose the city environment so to find a place of its own. After experiencing Moscow as an urban context and a cultural entity, people can think that parallel worlds exists in this city; they are outcomes of various dynamics, one a pretended reality and another happening behind closed doors and lost contact of its inhabitants. The first is supposed to be the idealistic outcome of a specific model; the second one is the outcome of an oppressed society looking to transgress the auto regulated boundaries.

Control

Контроль technique Concentrical Infrastructure

MOSCOW

=

The starting point relies on the interrelatedness of various forms of social, political and cultural hierarchies and exclusions related to gender, sexuality, ethnicity, bodily ability, race, class and geopolitical location. The specific case study is Moscow, Russia, an old urban settlement, that distinguishes because of its particular cultural and its history. Most of its experiences and culture’s expression is controlled, as can be observed in various layers that define the city everyday life. “sorry today is private” “sorry today is not your day”

“The Grid City”

“ The built environment is a cultural artifact. It is shaped by human intention and intervention, a living archeology through which we can extract the priorities and beliefs of the decision-makers in our society. Both the process through which we build and the forms themselves embody cultural values and simply standards of behavior which affect us all” From the corporate towers of the wizards of industry to the Emerald City of the Wizard of Oz, men have crated the built environment in their own self-image.” [1] Leslie Kanes Weisman

“ The city itself became a communicative space and the creation of media. Displacing houses and erecting monumental new buildings were acts of communication, signifying a show of strength. At the same time, they invited citizens to identify with this display of power, and gave rise to a new collective identity.” [2] Monica Rüthers

The downtown is characterized by unique pieces of architecture built thrown down and rebuilt through time since the twelfth century. Most of the particular Russian architecture that has a revolutionary style is located in this central ring.

Meanwhile the outer zone became the area to supply the requirements of Soviet policy to provide a mandatory living place to the rapid growing population. Thorough, the result is a monotonous urban landscape with a lack of variety that is deteriorating, because of low matainance. To these urban scapes are associated social behaviors, which are controlled by the traditions and old regulations that today are no longer questioned.

That can easily be heard or understood walking around the city.

My experience, as a guest in the city has been marked by the encoded navigation system difficult to be understood at the beginning. Also, it has been noticeable to me that being different from the classical urbanite models is not easy. I remarked the role that women have in this society, as stated by the several human and nongovernmental organization, prostitution is a city problem. I have learned that history and the country evolution have taught that men have to be the responsible and the one in command. Moscow is a city difficult to explore by outsiders, it is auto-regulated by the inhabitants, by the city’s policies, bureaucracy and infrastructure.

In the exercise that I propose, there is an attempt to recognize the varied array of citizens. In Moscow’s case, they can also be found in paper, digital data and inside hidden rooms, as there is a deficit of urban space that could offer opportunities for everyone to openly speak. What is looked to be proposed is an open invitation for citizens to easily participate and tell. It could be by means of a design, which has the capacity to illustrate how the meaning of an architectural and urban space can be redefined for a short or long period of time. In it the spectators not only organize themselves to watch but they are involved and engaged.

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Physical

Virtual

Moscow is a complex urban structure occupied by over 11 million people, it has a varied population of not only Muscovites but people coming from the ex Soviet Union countries and all over the world. Around three million people are immigrants, from those, two million are legal and the rest are without proper documentation. It is a city organized by a road system in rings around the Kremlin, the heart of the city. Some are high-speed freeways that cut possible pedestrian flow dividing the city.

“ The visual strategies in Stalin’s time aimed at creating the illusion of perfect communism through the means of social realism. The art of socialism realism provided the illusion of a monolithic space that ignored the less-than-perfect zones between the perfect spots. It guided the perception of the public. People were supposed to learn to blend out imperfect surroundings and create an ideal synthetic space out of islands of perfection.” [3] Monica Rüthers 72

The soviet project had the idea that esthetics (monolithic architecture that ignored individualities) will show how powerful the government was and society would be controlled. The city, be it downtown or microrayons, had to be monumental, both in its architecture and in its pomposity, in it, people fill oppressed by this majestic landscape; one that does not invite them to identify with it. It also creates a sensation of going nowhere, both socially as architecturally. Neither the urban proposals will hear the citizen nor will the people be able to create their own.

Tабу Landscape Taboo “ Thomas More writes of an island society of perfect organization, a place (topos) that is good (eu) and non-existent (ou): eu-topos, ou-topos, utopia. The physicality of an island, individual and contained, has remained key to utopian thinking ever since. Written in a feudal society in which religious and political non-conformity would eventually cost him his life, More’s proposal for religious, gender and political tolerance was very radical. It is perhaps because of More’s context that Utopia was written, as an expression of dissatisfaction with the present and a means of projecting a possible future: the utopian projection is a symptom of anxiety with the present.” [4] Becca Voelcke

SEX OUT

IN

“We cannot abandon our own impulses, without our thoughts we cease to be truly humans” [6] Daniella Gandolfo Russian culture tends to demonstrate the opposite of this statement. It can be said that lodged at the heart of the rule-obsessed Muscovite social construction there is a basic rule of avoidance, a prohibition of contact, functioning like a pivot between the ideas of race, class, sex or gender and the mass of feelings that underpin all relations defined by difference. Moscow, like any city, has taboos. Yet, not only the traditional taboos; here human and social interactions cannot easily take place. Overall in Moscow, the body and its necessities are considered taboos. The sacredness of beings and things is treated by having been set apart from the ordinary, into the profane life; in Russia traditional precepts are what differentiate us from one another.

The separation of the sacred and the profane is the basis that, among other things, defines the various limits and prohibitions by which Muscovites live in society. Through negation, taboo associate natural phenomena such as sex with the reality of our animal bodies, a truth that has to be expelled into a closed realm, one that should be impossible to penetrate. This emotion defines the boundaries of parallel cities – reduced fragmented and disconnected islands amongst the gigantic Moscow city. Sacred and profane cannot

LOOK People have been trained to not have any contact and to close themselves to everyone and everything. Even in spaces that pushes together people, they automatically repel themselves...

NO CONTACT BODY EXPRESSION “ The gap between architecture and what people make of it, seeing its occupants no longer simply as passive consumers or victims but also as vital actors contributing a multiplicity of new images and models of occupation. Most optimistically this architecture positions embody new social and cultural formations. Yet it must also be stated that any facile rehabilitation of the “ordinary” readily becomes problematic.

There is, of course, no “common man” just as there is no universal “other”. Despite Lefebvre’s and de Certeau’s recognition of the polymorphous fluidity of the everyday, populist tenets frequently homogenize and subsume stratifications of power, such as class, gender and race, in the fray of contemporary architectural practice and polemics. The ordinary becomes a rationalization for market forces and passive consumption; “common sense” becomes a means to avoid the rigors of ideological critique.” [5] Mary McLeod 73

Шоу Limits Show To physically enforce the moral and social controls that are precepts of the traditional regime, Moscow uses several urban layers. Although it is an English expression it began in Kiev and Moscow, and lately it has been exported to other European countries, Russian face-control bouncers have even traveled to Spain, France and Italy, to apply their knowledge and work at private parties.

“I’m sorry, there needs to be a pretty picture inside, you understand.” says Pasha “Face Control.” Such are the often brutal vagaries of Moscow’s face control, which is both humiliating and exhilarating. Money, looks and attitude are all weighed and ranked in a few seconds, defining whether you belong in the club that night, or not.

It is a method that looks to keep the city as glamorous, exclusive and looking expensive as possible. It is said to be necessary because Russia is filled with “people who have just made their first million and think they deserve to be in the club, that they should get everything they want.” [7]

Face Control

“Public places” in the city with any LOOK requirement to access “The rituals held on some of the islands in their turn constituted spaces of power. The choreographic order of the bodies of sportsmen, soldiers and leaders on top of the mausoleum on Red Square was repeated over and over. Like the picture of the new urban spaces in photographs and paintings, the festivities were in the picture, a double heterotopia. On weekdays between holiday festivities, other spaces were created. [9]” Monica Rüthers

This, of course, is a problem. “But in fact they’re just a bunch of miners and day laborers,” Pasha “Face Control” says. “They don’t have respect or culture.” [8]

OUT

There is even a special face control system for cars; a thick-necked man in a black vest lets only the most expensive, late-model Ferraris and Bentleys up to the place where a bouncer guards the entrance to the club itself.

Photos thanks to Strelka Bar, Moscow 2012

The rejection, when it comes (which is more often than not), is frequently wrapped in an almost paternal sense of charity: it’s for your own benefit; you wouldn’t like it in here anyway. It puts a price on a woman’s attractiveness, and how much money a man can spend in the club. The face becomes the indicator of the level of wealth, power, social standing and overall desirability. After a while, all these snap judgments of a person can weigh on the soul. If inside the club there is one big perfect celebration, what is there for the ones left outside?

IN

This urban dynamic can be considered a vicious circle. Each time someone is accepted into a specific environment it is taken as a proof of how much more he or she is worth, compared to the ones left outside. It becomes a conquest of the best places, so as to be considered more important or greater than the rest of society. Meanwhile, those left outside spend what they do not have to get into an upgraded social position.

In Moscow, life works as a beauty pageant, where you only want to be the selected one.

74

Cекс Geography Sex

Moscow is a city where at first sight, it is appearances that open and close the doors of opportunity. In this context, body language that tells something about you is objectified; sexual orientation or explicit sexual behaviors fall into that category, pushing it to happen behind closed doors. This gives to the minorities, such as the gay community, a possibility to express, meet and satisfy their needs. This space, traditionally, has been given by the Internet and has pushed non-virtual space to surge.

5.3 million 6.2 million

10km

male female

The sexual desires of men meet its requirements in architecture such as brothels or clubs and currently find new outlets via the Internet. Meanwhile, women find fewer possibilities either to express or to satisfy themselves. This is contradictory, considering that in this city women are the majority of the population. Yet they still a minority group that has not found a voice in contemporary urban structures.

Physical Portals

Woman to Woman Woman to Man Man to Man Man to Woman

POMPOUS

Virtual Portals

data:

Profile content

Piercings

One of the many streight, male oriented, clubs in Moscow. Jus the entrance is an exmple of how visful and accepted are this gender of clubs

brothel

prostitutes

Physics

and stuff: Body art

Body hair:

Colour

I have a piearcing(s) I have tattoo(s) I shave everywhere!

Legs Chest I don't shave down there Hands Naturally hairless Down below Back Tons

Sideburns 5-o'clock shadow Mustache Facial hair: Clean-shaven Beard All smooth

Hair

Eye Colour

Body

A lot A few No

Homosexual site

GayRomeo

Status:

Full Beard Goatee Moustache Designer stubble No Beard Average Very hairy Little Shaved Smooth Light Brown White Grey Blonde Red Brown Black

time: with my What I do

Eye color

Punk Long Average Short Shaved Other Blue Green Grey Brown Stocky Belly Muscular Athletic Average

Weight Height Birthday

Weight: Height:

QGyus

Body Hair

A lot A few No

Hair color

Body type

Other Hazel blue Green Grey Brown

conditions Living Kids:

Dyed Bald Shaved White Grey Blonde Red Brown Black

Smoking:

Big and Beautiful A few extra pounds Muscular Athletic Average Slim

Weight, kg Height, cm Appearance Homosexual site

Badoo

Alcohol: About me Hometown Current City Date of birth Gender

Heterosexual site

Blender

Drugs: Female Male

QGyus

Heterosexual site

Legally married Just separated Dating a man Living with a guy Marriage of convinience Dating different people Dating a woman Meeting people Divorced from straight marriage Married to a woman Dating a man and a woman Engaged Looking

Sport:

music: favourite My

I work and study I study I'm just a lazy bum I work

Open Taken status Relationship Single

I have kids living separately I live with my kids I want to have kids later I won’t have any I don’t have any Socially I’m quitting No Yes Rarely

Drinking

Interests Going out Communication Planning Tidiness Night life

Socially Never Ofthen Occasionally

Realtionship

Socially and rare Never I’m a party animal!

Homosexual site

Smoker

GayRomeo

Smoking

Married Open realtionship I have a partner I am single Yes Socially No Homosexual site

Children

Living

Yes, please!

With company No and I don’t like drinkers No

Relationship

Chain smoker - oxygen is overrated Yes Social No and I don’t like smokers No Empty nest Already have Someday No, never Alone With partner Dormitory With roomate With Parents

Badoo

Heterosexual site

Pets

Children

Widowed Single Separated Open Married In a relationship Engaged Domestic partnership Divorced Dating Complicated Civil Union

cuisine: favourite My

Cultural

No pets No but I like pets Yes I have pets No I don’t want No I don’t have No but I want No but I like Yes I have

Hometown Current City

Blender

Heterosexual site

massage salon

looking for Date:

Yoga Deep see diving Skating Swimming Combat sports Skiing, snowbording Biking Fitness Serfing Rollerblading Soccer Running

Dick

prefer it: How I

I'm a vegetarian Thai Italian I eat anything French Korean Japanese My mothers Chinese Brazilian Russian

Food & Drink Books Hobbies Games Profession Travel Sports Beauty Fashion & Shows Movies & TV Music

Hindu

beliefs: Religious

Ethnicity:

Buddhist Jewish Muslim Christian God is there There is no God

Social Life

Languages

Religion Profession

Languages

Ethnics

Homosexual site

GayRomeo

preferences Sexual

Indian Arab Mixed Black Mediterranean Latin Asian Caucasian Homosexual site

Education

Badoo

Manners:

I don’t do this kind of things!

Bottom - versatile Top - versatile Versatile Bottom Passive Top Active No Yes

Dirty

Fisting

S and M

Feminine In the middle Manly man Fucking

Income Profession

Nobody knows about me!

Close friends

Faroese Basque Esperanto Estonian Danish Welsh Creole Czech Catalan Bosnian

Travel Sports Music Favorite Food

Ukrainian Portuguese Chinese French Dutch Hebrew I can speak: Spanish Russian Italian Japanese German English

QGyus

Work

Mixed race Middle eastern Asian Black Hispanic Caucasian

Position: site: Company Company: Industry:

sponsor?: Can I

Sometimes No Yes

orientation: Co-workers about your I can't hide it, I'm GAY! Who knows

Parents/relatives I'm open about it

Indonesian Afrikaans Chinese Russian Portuguese Italiam French German Spanish English Advanced degree College / University Trade / Technical School only Heterosexual site

Transsexual FtM Transsexual MTF Straight Orientation: Bi Gay Linked in Twitter Facebook Occupation Graduate school College / University High school Interests

Blender

manners: Your

Feminine In the middle Masculine/Butch

QGyus Heterosexual site

Homosexual site

Safer sex

generally Sexually I am

Orientation

GayRomeo

XXL XL L M S

in bed: Anal sex What I like

Oral sex - to give Massage Sex-toys Cum Domination Exhibitionism Rimming Masturbation Kissing

Yes WS Only No No Passive Active / Passive Active

Fetishes:

Yes Soft SM only No

It seems that the greater the population the smaller its territory.

Does Moscow have an uneven geography of desire ?

Uneven Geography

Role games Bondage Group sex Oral sex - to receive Petting Golden showers Fisting Submission Wrestling

Uncut Cut

Safe sex:

Radio Classical Hip-hop, R&B Metal Dance music Pop I listen to anything Rock Electronic Depends on my mood

Latex/Rubber Uniforms Tattoos Dressing up Leather Jeans Smells Swing dates Socks Piercing Underwear No

for sponsor: Yes I'm looking Desires

No Top only More Top Versatile More bottom Bottom only

Muscled Defined Large

Woman to Woman

Athletic to be: your body Slim I would like Thick built Average Skinny Older than me About my age be: your age to Younger than me I would like Doesn’t matter

Never Needs discussion always

Building a family 3-way One-night stand Roommate Relationship Group sex

Top only More Top Versatile More bottom Bottom only

Fetishes

here for: Travel companion I'm looking

Friendship Love Regular sex partner Gym/sports buddy E-mail/Chat

Lesbian bisexual Orientation Open-minded Straight

transgender bisexual gay Homosexual site

Badoo

Heterosexual site

Orientation

Blender

Bisexual Gay / Lesbian Stright Heterosexual site

for: searching I'm

Transsexual Gay group Transvestite Bi couple (M+F) Gay couple Bi group Man

QGyus

looking for Chat:

looking for Friends:

looking for Sex: Too horny cum pig

sex, GRRR

looking for Relationship:

Me gustaría encontrar un hombre de verdad

looking for Sex: Cute bottom for muscular top...

looking for Date: SPICE IT UP! PUMP IT UP!

looking for Relationship:

looking for Relationship:

looking for Date:

Let's drink champagne!

looking for Chat Ищу интересных и добрых людей looking for Chat:

looking for Date:

Love, Peace and Bubblegum!!!

looking for Date: Some one to teach me I've just come to Moscow.

I do not know Russian language.

I want to meet with a guy, 26-35

Homosexual site

Search radius

Worker Sneakers & Socks Uniform Skins & Punks Skater Drag Techno & Raver Lycra Underwear Sportsgear Jeans Formal dress Boots Rubber Leather Planer Continent Country Region City

Relationship Networking

ages users between Looking for Looking for

Looking for

Relationship Friends Sex date

GayRomeo

Homosexual site

Friends Dates Chat

Looking for

Badoo

Heterosexual site

Blender

Heterosexual site

Woman to Man Man to Man Man to Woman

Wants to share a bottle of wine with somebody, 24-50

American football ,sport, dances, intercourse.....

looking for Friends:

looking for Sex:

sex, smile, jazz!!! :)

looking for Date:

looking for Sex: sex sex sex, )))))))))))))))))))))))

looking for Relationship:

looking for Sex:

looking for Sex:

Hot RUSSIAN guy from MOSCOW! Real fucking without complexes!

looking for Relationship:

Lady. Do not hesitate to contact me. :) I want to meet with a guy, 26-35

looking for Sex:

gay sex shop

male strip club

looking for Relationship: looking for Friends:

The road of excess leads to the Palace of wisdom.

In this profile you don't find some kind of sportiness or muscles, but maybe you can find another treasures.

The road of excess leads to the Palace of wisdom.well-built russian guy, looking 4 fun.

looking for Friends: looking for Friend:

looking for Relationship:

looking for Friends: Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

looking for Chat: .

I am looking for new friends, interesting people if possible!

looking for Friend: .

Devil wouldn't recognize you...

looking for Date:

Will be in moscow till middel of april! Give a note!

looking for Sex: looking for Sex:

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))))

cool guy from moscow ) i am photographer ) Я добряк =)

3

looking for Chat:

looking for Relationship:

looking for Date: Hello! I'm an interesting guy. I would be glad to get acquainted with interesting people.

So give it to me like I want it

not possible to discribe in a few words ..........

looking for Friends:

+70

1

7

2

lesbian

gay cruising

gay sauna 6

5

sex shops

75

Beard

desires

What the people is looking for:

strip club

bars gay 9

Urban geography usually is defined by the overlap of various layers; biological, infrastructural, anthropological, economic and, in this case, it seems that sexuality defines a new layer. Perhaps Moscow is the case study that proves this. It is through the observation of its daily life that this sexually defined geography has been found. Although Moscow seems to have a tough, difficult-to-penetrate skin, it seems that there can be public spaces to break down these traditions.

+70

Perhaps the root of this social unbalance can be said to come from poor entertainment infrastructure and the lack of education, particularly sexual education. Today in Russian schools it is almost non-existent, and this results in a great number of young women’s pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. After all, an Orthodox society and religion tends to consider sexual expressions offensive and inadequate. Classically, libidinous heterosexual behavior should stay private and not be manifested. Sexual expression is tamed and recommended to occur in closed space rather than out in the open; it displeases the given order and questions the limits. This situation can be possible in a controlling and segregating society. Muscovites walk through the city led by the hand by ghosts.

Their fears and prejudices tell them which routes to take, which zones of the city to visit, and which ones to avoid.

Tattos

Rubber Military Formal Trendy Skin Leather My attire: Suite and Tie Alternative Punk Drag Sports Kit Casual

“The man-made environments which surrounds us reinforce conventional patriarchal definitions of women’s role in society and spatially imprint those sexist messages on our daughters and sons. they have conditioned us to an environmental myopia which limits our self-concepts... which limits our visions and choices of ways of living and working... which limits us by not providing the environments to support our autonomy or by barring our access to them. It is time to open our eyes and see the political nature of this environmental oppression!.” [11] Leslie Kanes Weisman

“On weekdays between holiday festivities, other spaces were created. Prostitution, idling and nightlife showed different arrangements of people, objects and actions.” [10] Monica Rüthers

What, where and how are expresed on the city ?

Homosexual Heterosexual site site

Physics Cultural Living conditions Sexual preferences Sexual desires

name: sex: location: age: interests:

ISOLATED The only Lesbian oriented Club.

Its architecture is a reponse to the forbiddenness of its gender.

Is the sexual infrastructure maleoriented and are women simply another piece of this infrastructure ?

description of the dating services information profile . offline/online status . interaction among users . location

+

15

A prostitute can be fined in Russia, and organizing prostitution is punishable by jail. Therefore, underground services become more and more attractive, as a wealthy business and a living option, albeit with poor conditions for those women working in it. If, instead of being a closed service, if it was an open, settled and organized urban activity, the market would loosen its power and women would have more options and get better treatment.

Moscow’s population by gender

+150

Is the sexual infrastructure male-oriented, and are women simply another piece of it?

Women have been considered a sexual object for a long time in this orthodox male society. Women play a supporting role to male infrastructure. The female figure becomes a male accessory used to easily access some places, to fit into a particular desired look and to express financial wealth. Therefore an important market of women is set in place to satisfy these male longings. Today, Moscow has a well-organized, strong black market in women that fulfill Russian demand and open the frontiers, as it is becoming a global business.

46.3% 53.7%

76

looking for Date: hi:) Just looking for some friends....

A sexual geography at the service of the men Even men having a “forbidden” sexual orientation have a place to express their desires No matter sexual orientation, women have no place on this geography

“ First there are the utopias. Utopias are sites with no real place. They are sites that have a general relation of direct or inverted analogy with the real space of Society. They present society itself in a perfected form, or else society turned upside down, but in any case these utopias are fundamentally unreal spaces ” [12] Michael Foucault

HETEROTOPIA

“ Foucault writes of the heterotopia’s feature of juxtaposing several non-compatible spaces, using the planned garden as an example of how diverse landscapes can be brought together in an attempted order, their wild natures forced into neighborliness. Libraries and museums can be viewed in the same light, the times and voices of their contents becoming folded into one and contained in their structures. Like the cemetery then, the archive cannibalises time.” [13] Becca Voelcke “ Heterotopias are often places of transition, the heteroptopia being a site of exchange between utopia and dystopia. Foucault talks of the crisis heterotopia, a space or instance of shift.” [14] Becca Voelcke

“ In Of Other Spaces, Foucault goes on to discuss the heterotopia, a form of utopia that has been enacted: an attempted, constructed space. Through production, the utopia has become real (reflecting both its society’s hopes and unwanted defects that enter the projection) yet remains unreal exactly because it has been undermined by the interference of reality, society, and practicality. In this way, the utopia is both absolutely real and absolutely unreal, rather like a mirror. It is a heterotopia. We see ourselves in it both as we aspire to be and as we are in reality.” [15] Becca Voelcke “ Foucault gives his most complete discussion of heterotopia in his essay “ Des Espaces autres” In this essay Foucault distinguishes heterotopias from imaginary spaces -utopias- and from everyday landscapes. He proposes that certain unusual or out-of-the-ordinary places - the museum, the prison, the hospital, the cemetery, the theatre, the church, the carnival, the vacation village, the barracks, the brothel, the place of sexual interaction, the colony - provide our most acute perceptions of the social order. These perceptions might drive either from a quality of disorder and multiplicity, as in the brothel, or from a kind of compensation, a laboratory-like perfection, as the colony, which exposes the messy, ill-constructed nature of everyday reality.”

[16] Mary McLeod “ Foucault suggests that these heterotipic environments, by breaking with the banality of the everyday existence and by granting us insight into our condition, are both privileged and politically charged. He asserts that they suspend, neutralized or invert the set of relationships that are designated.”

[17] Mary McLeod

“ The philosopher calls for a society with many heterotopias, not only as a space with several places of/for the affirmation of difference, but also as a means of escape from authoritarianism and repression, stating metaphorically that if we take the ship as the utmost heterotopia, a society without ships is inherently a repressive one, in a clear reference to Stalinism.” [18]

Becca Voelcke

“ Another position linking space and power: the notion of “everyday life” developed by French philosopher Henri Lefebvre from the 1930s through 1970s and by cultural theorist Michel de Certeau shortly thereafter. A peculiar synthesis of Surrealist and Marxists notions, Lefebvre concept of every day life might be best understood as a series of paradoxes. While the object of philosophy, it is inherently non-philosophical; while conveying an image of stability and immutability, it is transitory and uncertain. While unbearable in its monotony and routine, it is festive and playful. It is at once “sustenance, clothing, furniture, homes, neighborhoods, environment” - material life - but with a “dramatic attitude” and “lyrical tone”. In short, everyday life is real life, the here and now, no abstract true. De Certeau, in his book The Practice of Everyday Life (L’Invention du quotidien,1980) gives a notion of everyday life a somewhat more particularist, Less Marxist cast, stressing the localized and transitory qualities of the daly existence ” [19] Mary McLeod

” Jane Jacobs is concerned with freedom and safety for children, elderly people and those most vulnerable to attack. She grans public meaning to domestic life -one that refuses a segregation of the sexes as well as functions... An interest in blurring, categories, in diversity, in understanding and enjoying a genuinely heterotopic milieu. Her depiction of the city as a “self-regulating system” overlooks the positive potential of human agency and cultural transformation, and despite her acute analyses of many aspects of daly life.” [20] Mary McLeod

77

Пара Cities In this metropolis, there are meeting places hidden behind a common façade that do not awake any suspicions. But in these places various activities happen, ranging from sexual intercourses to social gatherings. They can be saunas, cruising spots, massage salons, sex shops, strip clubs, video booths, motels, gay bars, swingers’ bars or private parties by invitation only. They are built spaces where their users feel themselves safe in a community where they can openly and securely express what they want. These can be called “parallel cities” and are enclosed by an aura of mystery, of fear of the unknown, of fetishism and untrustworthiness. Yet they keep alive the lust and anxieties of those who are looking to escape or come up for air.

Some of these meeting places originate from a particular group that meets and transforms; others result from a virtual necessity that requires a “real” place to happen in. The translation from the virtual to the real can create space. There are also tools that geo-locate the interest in question. It is not an architectural space that is defined but the individual or the body-specific that begins to redefine the city. This applies not only to the virtual but also to public encounters that do not own a specific space, but gather and for a moment transform the urban landscape to satisfy their needs.

Such energy has to be released, as in a natural environment steam finds a way to be let off. In the urban realm, parallel cities offer this option. In the city, several complex layers of social discourse and urban experiences meet. At the end, it results in a congested situation; in Moscow it is dimmed. The parallel cities are an opportunity where those catalogued as outsiders can freely express themselves. They have to be understood as any person not belonging to a particular group or party, someone that is unconnected or unacquainted with civic matters or codes of behavior. They are considered parasites that seem to be unbalancing the established social infrastructure set in place for others. This society requires that even if it is a beneficing entity, any that does not follow the presets must be classified.

Contemporary cities could be open public civic spaces, not just a passive, uniform or simply financial machine. It should not be an agglomeration, but an intellectual park, that mixes all these qualities, an array of chaos and freedom.

Today, Moscow’s society seems to be changing and parallel cities are a reflection of this transformation. “Urban form is hard and persistent, yet capable of accommodating change over time. The city, like a vital ecological system, encompasses both the unyielding mineral strata and the dynamic, fluid interactions of life itself.” [21] Stan Allen After observing the urban Muscovite reality, there are some exercises that could be used to break down barriers and empower transition and transformation in the city. These are acknowledging the reality that was observed and that is set in place.

78

par·a·site

[[par-uh-sahyt] noun A parasite is an organism that attached to or within a single host organism in a relationship that is in essence parasitic; however, it ultimately sterilises or kills, and sometimes consumes, the host. [22]

par·al·lel

[par-uh-lel, -luhl] adjective, noun, verb 1. extending in the same direction, equidistant at all

never converging or diverging. points, and

2. Geometry lying in the same plane but

never meeting

no matter how far extended.[23]

The Shearing:

Пара Sights Flirting, one of the human expressions of desire, has been slowly replaced by the sneak peak into someone’s web profile. So why not combine these forms of interaction?

The EyeContact:

-

With the concept of eye contact, the Add work easily. The information, the desire, is shared through a positioning sensor which detects when two pairs of glasses are in the correct positions. It works like a GPS, which receive information only if the lenses are a facing each other, with some degrees of freedom. The contact most remain more than 6 seconds, giving the user the opportunity to choose who you want to see what he is looking for. This interaction usually does not happen more than 6 seconds if you don’t feel any interest for the other person.

Parasight is based on the idea of eye contact as a means of relating to others. The user can decide with whom he/she makes eye contact, and who can read what he/she is thinking of. It is a mobile media interface that allows people to know not only the moods but also the desires of others, by making eye contact from behind dark glasses. Parasight will look and yet can be used as any other glasses.

When wearing them, making eye contact with other users, it will give each wearer access to the previously uploaded or “looking for” statuses. The glasses make it easier to approach strangers and getting the user one step closer to having his or her longings fulfilled. This is hard to achieve in Moscow.

Everyday life is a rich world that gives energy to the city. In it a great variety of encounters take place: social, cultural and economic. These dynamics involve the people living in the city – Muscovites and foreigners, women and men, gay and heterosexual. These differences do not matter; it is necessary to have everyone involved to maintain urban life. It guarantees the uniqueness and possible new city projects that will take society to another level. In Moscow, the city is currently organized into separate islands that do not relate to each other, which look after only for their own wealth and do not care about each other.

Therefore, to explore and take advantage of these rich and extreme situations, I propose to create a system – “Parasight.”

The Platform: The glasses work with a platform that allows you to upload from your computer or mobile phone the mood or desire you have, what I am Looking For. It can be changed as often as necessary. This message upgrade works by connecting the device and the computer or mobile by bluetooth.

+ 6 seconds strategy

I look away

lance

They look away

SmileyLook

Male

Female

The Para-Sight Add is composed of five elements:

The platform only allows you to choose: First, a color that is related to the mood of the message, working as an urban code. This color is defined by the group in which the desire belongs, defined by the groups that were found in the online profiles analysis.

Finally there is a space to write what you are looking for, the text must not be longer than 100 characters. The users has complete freedom to write whatever they want in the search for that stranger that can help to achieve the desire.

Looking For: ______________________ ______________________ Physics Cultural Living conditions Sexual preferences Sexual desires

It brings together the sacred and the profane, it breaks the taboos and dilutes the imaginary boundaries. Parasight aims to unveil various parallel cities, resulting from social segregation, which can meet in the same urban context. By identifying them, the idea is to improve the possibilities to meet, share and explore with others. This ends in the discovery of a different city and the creation of spaces for the unexpected encounter. Therefore it can empower a possible transformation in the Russian society by encouraging meeting activities, matching people to shared needs, and enabling an open infrastructure in everyday life. Parasight works as a vessel of emotions and desires, an attractor of human contact, showing a whole landscape of diversity and possibilities. The dream is to see a contemporary city in which outsiders can have a place.

Looking For: _____________ _____________

A special screen A positioning sensor.

Physics Cultural Living conditions Sexual preferences Sexual desires

A bulb An encoder A mini - Bluetooth device

Parasight aims to open your eyes, to the opportunities that usually pass by. This is more common that it is thought in a large city like Moscow, where expression must happen as quietly as possible. This shows the extreme measures that have to be taken in response to the severe social conditions. The body and individuals have to be directly affected to empower a change. The banality of the landscape, the few possibilities to express individuality or to find a place in it, forces design to go beyond personal boundaries, to transgress the social realm and renew the city’s reality.

79

80

Пара Statics

STATIC “ Facades were an important subject in representative publications. However, analysis disrupts this logic. The complete living space must be explored, including not only the surface facades, but also the throughways to the courtyards and the real sides of buildings. All of them constituted spaces of everyday life by day as well as by night, on festive days as well as normal workdays. Buildings, which formed a unified block, show a sharp separation between outer and inner usage.”

[24] Monica Rüthers

EVERYDAY LIFE RESHAPINGS

Facades are the thin lines that safely protect the inner privacy offered by architecture and the judgments of the outer open city. What would happen if it became a surface where the inhabitants could write their dreams, desires and thoughts?

As another means to bring together parallel cities and the everyday landscape, there can be is a second system. It is a screen added to the traditional facades that can be controlled by the inhabitant. If Parasight affected directly the citizens, Parastatics wants to transform the already built urban scenery. It is a projection device that facilitates the use of what before could not be used, the facade, because they did not have a tool to do it. It is changeable as mood swings; each day a new story could be projected. At the end, each one becomes both owners of their private interior and of a little piece of the open outside. Moscow could become an open book that tells the thoughts and shows the particularities of its citizens.

Built by the powerful few and following dull laws, Moscow’s urban landscape is an addition of monotonous façades now constructed mechanically; in it life is constrained by those rectilinear and rough combinations. The dreamed-of city is one in which, just like in natural environments, each being constructs a stage for living through their transit, changing it, adapting it, rebelling against it, in order to make it their own. With every routine and every action that leaves a mark on the urban structures – such as litter, stickers on a traffic sign, dents in a sidewalk or instant graffiti – the physical space and its rigid skeleton are coated with a tenuous, varnish that gains depth and complexity with time and traffic. The planned city resists and succumbs, as it becomes sensitized and humanized in spite of its severity.

Rather than a rigid structure that has to be fought against, Moscow could be a reactive and adaptive surface, open to everyone to be used as needed. The contours of the constructed city could be enveloped by new layers, which transform them into more approachable structures. Through these layers the urban landscape would begin to reflect its users and provide a setting for the symbiotic process of identification and recognition. This is the longed-for connection that needs to be built in Moscow, between the environment and its inhabitants.

The various people-space relationships that take place in parallel cities challenge the emotionless of the daily interactions between infrastructures and the surroundings. The personally transformed building invites countless, fragmented and unpredictable actions. It creates a site for holistic human experiences that goes beyond engaging the senses. The line dividing the private from the public sphere is bent, as people begin to expose their life through displaying or adding personal belongings or reshaping the exterior wall of their homes or offices. As individualities are being expressed, the daily pedestrian can taste, wonder and imagine the interior world of the unknown inhabitant.

“ Operation of making out boundaries, consisting in narrative contacts and compilations of stories, are composed of fragments drawn from earlier stories and fitted together in markeshift fashion ( bricolés ). In this sense, they shed light on the formation of myths, since they also. have the function of founding and articulating spaces. Preserved in the court records, they constitute an immense travel literature, thet is, a literature concerned with actions organizing more or less extensive social cultural areas. But this represents only a tiny part of the oral narration that interminably labors to compose spaces, to verify, collate and dispace their frontiers.” [25] Michel de Certeau

81

FOOT NOTES

Today Russia is living changing times; it is transforming its political and economical model.

Yet its cities seem to be in another time and its society appears to be looking for something different. It is a culture marked by an enduring tradition. The old controlling system proposed by the Soviet project has been redefined or modernized so to maintain domination over the citizens. It is a segregated culture disconnected between the inhabitants themselves and the built scenario.

Muscovites are now the owners of their homes, they have incomes that reflect their work and they have options. They are, little by little, taking control over the settled, the monolithic scenario where they have to live but do not identify with it. Over the last year the city has seen how some (almost imperceptible) changes are happening in facades, how front yards or open space are being personalized. Also rallies and manifestations are taking over the streets, something that before was unthinkable.

Some of these changes are having an effect in the individuals; daily life has become a conquest of social standards. Now persons are being valorized at first glance, because of their looks and this is what define where he belongs or where someone can be. The general divisions or discrimination has driven inhabitants to find and repurpose the space behind doors. What I call parallel cities, built spaces where its users feel themselves in community where they can openly and securely express what they want, be them places or times.

They keep alive the lust and anxieties of those that are looking to escape, to take a social breath from the isolating muscovite rings.

As a student, guests and young person in Moscow, I have observed that under the classical visible urban layers there are some hidden situations that have found a mean to exist in the Internet and social media. This is something I perceived here but is a world while reality. I have proved that sexuality redefines human and social geography. I have concluded that sex longings and personal desires are strong forces that can empower urban renewal ant transgress traditional societies. I am now convinced that connecting this virtual opportunities with the urban built realities can bring together portals able to reshape behaviors and spaces.

Therefore I proposed TRANSITIONAL SURFACES, which express the possibilities that commonly pass by and are left behind. The idea then is to bring together the parallel cities and open the eye to opportunities to transform the built environment.

The proposal affects both the individuals and the city architecture, one by means of a personal accessory, a pair of glasses and the other is a projector attached to the facades. Both allow seeing behind barriers, to hear, to understand, to relate, with the thoughts of other and to commit to what is believed. Gives control to change and express but also the responsibility for the “others” that comes within. It is an active engagement between the closed ideas and the society, which places a transition surface over the contemporary city that sees into the coming urban future. I am sure this has to be constructed by the citizens on the everyday life, by braking those taboos, looking for that urban renovation.

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PICTURE CREDITS Page 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8WLYzA0lCs Page 2 http://www.flickr.com/photos/julienskywalker/6288334929/sizes/l/in/photos tream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sauri/156278646/sizes/z/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/4169990508/sizes/z/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sauri/193665364/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Page 3 http://www.outnews.co.uk/on1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id =825:moscow-bans-gay-pride-for-100-years&catid=2:world&Itemid=3 http://www.bomond.uz/otdih/378 http://sofiaecho.com/2010/12/28/1017775_jewish-leader-russian-xenophobiaboth-less-and-more-than-meets-the-eye http://jeremynicholl.photoshelter.com/image/I0000X1MePI5pn04 Page 7 http://www.flickr.com/photos/renakoo/3978671862/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Page 9 http://joshuaaricohen.com/index.php?/project/info-graphic-eye-contact/

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Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design 14, bldg. 5A, Bersenevskaya Emb. Moscow, 119072, Russia www.strelka.com