a Model Community
Life Behind the Walls of Fortress America
Selected Work from the series
project
statement:
What is a community? In my mind, a community is a group of people with shared interests, shared ideals, and a sense of shared responsibility to achieve those ideals. Community is the connective tissue of a society, integral to both structure and strength. Like the human body, the health of the larger communal body is dependant upon the health of the many smaller systems and communities contained within.
What then does the interjection of exclusivity add to a community? Gated subdivisions are a special type of neighborhood which maintains exclusivity by means of a homeowner’s association, communal rules of conduct and taste, and physical barriers restraining outsider access. The popularity of planned gated subdivisions is booming on a national level, and has been especially high in the West. Gated subdivisions provide their residents with a number of perceived benefits, but at what cost? Will the continued fragmentation of cities into small, privately governed units weaken municipal community? Should a desire for privacy outweigh the capacity for human interaction?
In 2004, I lived in a gated subdivision. This is the first time I have resided within fortress America. Being here, I have experienced first hand what I feel are the benefits and consequences of living behind walls. Isolated from the greater city, I feel insulated, invisible, and at times paranoid. Staring out the window, I marvel at the intricate network of cinder block walls segmenting each home into its own fortified cell. I feel imprisoned. As gated subdivisions continue to proliferate, I worry about the future of this city and others like it. I question the health of this system, and the long term effect that this system will have on its larger communal body, and the individuals it contains. My hope is that this work will stimulate thought and conversation about the very real concerns surrounding fortress America.
This model is meant to give the viewer an understanding of the psychological space of my home. Standing over the model the viewer is given a unique omniscience to observe the uniformity, density, and character of the space. This perspective is meant to allow entrance to the space while maintaining the distance necessary for a critical and objective study of the phenomenon of the gated neighborhood. By meticulously photographing every detail of the actual subdivision, its recreation serves as both a document and a reflection of the idealized fantasy it assumes. The materiality of the model (paper and tape) is meant to convey a sense of integrity from a distance, with closer inspection revealing frailty and imperfection.
What then does the interjection of exclusivity add to a community? Gated subdivisions are a special type of neighborhood which maintains exclusivity by means of a homeowner’s association, communal rules of conduct and taste, and physical barriers restraining outsider access. The popularity of planned gated subdivisions is booming on a national level, and has been especially high in the West. Gated subdivisions provide their residents with a number of perceived benefits, but at what cost? Will the continued fragmentation of cities into small, privately governed units weaken municipal community? Should a desire for privacy outweigh the capacity for human interaction?
In 2004, I lived in a gated subdivision. This is the first time I have resided within fortress America. Being here, I have experienced first hand what I feel are the benefits and consequences of living behind walls. Isolated from the greater city, I feel insulated, invisible, and at times paranoid. Staring out the window, I marvel at the intricate network of cinder block walls segmenting each home into its own fortified cell. I feel imprisoned. As gated subdivisions continue to proliferate, I worry about the future of this city and others like it. I question the health of this system, and the long term effect that this system will have on its larger communal body, and the individuals it contains. My hope is that this work will stimulate thought and conversation about the very real concerns surrounding fortress America.
This model is meant to give the viewer an understanding of the psychological space of my home. Standing over the model the viewer is given a unique omniscience to observe the uniformity, density, and character of the space. This perspective is meant to allow entrance to the space while maintaining the distance necessary for a critical and objective study of the phenomenon of the gated neighborhood. By meticulously photographing every detail of the actual subdivision, its recreation serves as both a document and a reflection of the idealized fantasy it assumes. The materiality of the model (paper and tape) is meant to convey a sense of integrity from a distance, with closer inspection revealing frailty and imperfection.
