Gender is no longer divided along the binary lines of ‘man’ and ‘woman’. From birth, gender roles were given to us and assumed based on our biology. Although as society has evolved, so has the standpoint on gender assumptions, there is still a lack of attention given to these issues, therefore it is important to address these assumptions. In a post labour scenario we believe that these gender assumptions will become more prevalent and therefore more toxic. To avoid this conclusion we propose a social condenser that aims to deconstruct and dissect these forms of gender roles and through our program, rewrite, reappropriate, and help individuals to unlearn these ‘roles’.
Despite one’s physicality, gender refers to how a person identifies themselves on the inside and therefore how they choose to express that externally. Girls should wear pink and play with dolls, grow up to learn how to raise kids, keep the home tidy and cook for their family. Boys are tough, growing up to be the breadwinner and taught to not be emotional. Our condenser provides an opportunity to test and educate those of all ages, culture and gender. A big influencing factor to gender assumptions is the media. Whether it be through advertisements or how individuals are portrayed in film.
Media is accessible to people from a very young age and often detrimentally impacts their views of themselves and others. It is important that these gender assumptions are corrected to present a more positive outlook. Therefore our social condenser epitomises a meeting place for all, where individuals are presented with programs that address gender assumptions through the following rituals associated with Emotion, Social Reproduction and Consumerism.
Working within Berriozar Town Hall by AmidCero9’s general layout we have distinguished five programmable building spaces. Through our two plans and sections we showcase the buildings relation to ground, the surrounding context and how the key pillars of our condenser are enacted through specific programs. Through our architecture we have devised a hydraulic powered movable mesh panel system which allows for an element of temporality within the studio and factory spaces.
Starting with our studio building we breakdown and reform previously trusted modes of media such as film, theatre and tv shows. Taking this element of violence through the deconstruction of popular media modes, we flip the negative emotional connotations on their head and propose a space for celebration and the amalgamation of previously ignored or intolerable differences. We have utilised the internal and external stairs spaces as amphitheatre halls. Using the carefully crafted nature of the internal space we have designed a town hall like courtyard that plays host to many of our celebratory events. To connect these spaces together, we utilised the movable mesh panel system to open the ground and 1st floor levels to the internal space to allow for bigger or more formal showcases and to also connect our buildings with their internal courtyard space. We really wanted to break that boundary between inside and outside by using our moveable mesh panels which bring in an element of temporality and transparency, really not drawing that line between inside and outside.
Our social condenser is home to a factory that subverts toys, a place of proliferation where gender stereotyped toys are hybridised, making them ungendered. Combining the moveable mesh panels and the amphitheatre like space we have created viewing areas which allows for the ritual of toy sacrifice which we have invoked. Citizens of the city can bring toys that they believe are creating gender stereotypes or assumptions and submit them for toy sacrifice. Our factory will then shred or deconstruct the toys to then reappropriate them into ungendered unbiased toys to enhance our social reproduction element. This program stands as the second pillar of our condenser, encouraging the process of social reproduction. The factory evolves toys for the purpose of two other programs within our site. Our advertisement gallery and childcare are buildings where our ungendered toys can be tested and also allows for the reappropriating of toy advertising amongst other gender assumed paraphernalia.
Three of our five programs stand as support for the three main pillars. The gallery, childcare, and media headquarters help to promote and encourage the concepts that our social condenser seeks to test. Emotion through media in the studio and media headquarters. Social reproduction through advertisement and creation of toys in the gallery, factory and childcare spaces. Finally through consumerism which is addressed through all programs in some way, whether it be the type of media we digest through to the very toys that we consume as children.
In a post labour scenario we will have more time to focus on that which is wrong in our society. We at Oikonomia believe that through the removal of work as the top priority in human lives, we will look inwards and start to question more intensely the ways in which we raise our children and the media we expose them to. Our social condenser provides a space for the questions to be addressed and for active members of society to begin the change. More specifically with the media being at the forefront of the education of children, this is where we begin. The studio space is a three story structure that houses anything and everything needed for the destruction and subsequent reappropriation of current and future media. Whether it be dismantling negative gender tropes, reimagining scenes from tv or movies or just being the space needed to start these discussions. The building can become whatever it is needed to be, as seen in the closeup plan and section, the structure combines the exterior moveable mesh panels with bifold panels on the interior to produce the atmosphere of temporality and creativity.
As part of our condenser we included a celebratory element to the changes we introduce, putting a positive spin on something that could be seen as negative, to really enhance what our social condenser is testing. To do this we have incorporated reappropriation premiers, theatre performances, and public forum like situations into our rituals. The amphitheatre-like internal and external stair spaces act as seating for these performances, with the internal space housing a stage for bigger affairs. The moveable mesh panels further provide seating or a more dramatic theatre space for these celebrations to occur.
Transparency and movability were important aspects we wanted to highlight through our architecture. The building hangs from a steel exoskeleton structure that forms the bones of the design. The five buildings are then wrapped in a lightweight double skin, with the outer layer being consistently mesh metal panels and the internal going between solid metal panels and glass facades. This allows for the movement of fresh air through the skin and for natural light. The mesh also creates a sense of temporality as the courtyard facades of the studio and factory buildings have moveable mesh panels that are operated by hydraulics. We wanted to maintain an open and basic circulation route, providing elevators and stairs to every building and having the walkways exposed to natural light and fresh air, so it gave the atmosphere of an open and inclusive space.
Exoskeleton-like in appearance, our site’s general structure also permits the structures to be flexible. Any of these options, as well as the opening up of the filmmaking studio facade seen in this axo, the display of commercials remade in this style, or even projections of our new scripts on the building itself, are all possible with such a structure. The studio’s exterior, which faces the site, is clad with metal panels that fold up and rest flat against the rafters. Additionally, these panels are attached to the exoskeleton, enabling for a variety of shooting locations to be constructed inside it. When necessary, the facade may be entirely opened up, allowing for double-height areas. For this project, we wanted a facility that was as flexible as possible in order to keep up with the ever-changing needs of its programme.
For this social condenser to operate, it needs a venue where these values may take place. Deconstructions and testing of gender assumptions are encouraged in our project, which allows for a beneficial transformation in society as the norms are re-enacted, rejected and rebuilt via media at the forefront. It is possible to unlearn assumptions about emotions, social reproduction, and consumerism based on gender through challenging preconceptions. Action and discourse are encouraged in this area, which radiates beyond the walls and demonstrates the value of these deconstructions to others who are outside this space. It’s reasonable to think that the preconceptions about gender that are based on words and social media may be unlearned and reinterpreted using the same sources. As a result, this social condenser is essential in order to avoid the continuation of these assumptions, to educate persons of all ages, particularly the younger generation, and a place to advocate and actively combat these concerns. Gender roles that have been assigned to us since birth may be unlearned in a secure environment, allowing us to redefine our equality amongst all people.
Emily Grace Rowlings 