Fieldwork, A Trilogy

Abstract

The Fieldwork Trilogy ran over 6 years and was intended to create a public discourse on the merits of creating public space or democratizing common areas within a high-density urban environment. The series of public interventions provoked discussion within a general public as to the purpose of public space and how to create it by ‘colonising’ pieces of the urban terrain. By using gardens (guerilla gardens) and claiming a space by the public, a place can be created within a built-up urban environment to be used by the community for leisure and other social activities. Fieldwork I was the beginning of a trilogy that used the public interaction to establish this ‘place’ or series of ‘places’. This was extended by incorporating the train line that ran along the Western edge of the site and became the genesis of Fieldwork II – The Colonies. The demand for public engagement with this version was greater and more radical and drew more passionate responses. A more ephemeral work, Fieldwork III – Las Colonias set up the dialogue but also highlighted a more nuanced and pre-existing culture of public space.