Race + Space

Carving through Rigid Space: Filipina Domestic Workers at Statue Square, Hong Kong

Zhuofan Chen — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 18:30:42 +0000

Figure 1: Filipina domestic workers’ gathering, view from Chater Road towards Statue Square – Visual China Group.

Abstract

Demolishing Barriers: Canada’s Native Community Actively Un-Making Racist Architecture, by

Sarah Delnour — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 17:15:26 +0000

Figure 1: Polson, Erica. Paul Dixon and his Newly Acquired Sledgehammer, in Steve Bonspiel, “La Tuque Residential School Razed- Demolition Is Closure for Hundreds of Abducted Cree Children Held at the School.” The Nation Archives 13, no. 7 (February 2006): 5.

Cruising on the Collapsing Queer Horizon: Alvin Baltrop’s Pier Photographs

Hassan Saab and Lan Wang — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 16:22:34 +0000

Pushed to the edge of the city, into the dilapidated Hudson River piers, outside of “civilized” Manhattan, queer men of the 70s and 80s cruised in the rubble. The ruins of the post-industrial city became an uncontrolled, non-commercial space and the site of non-reproductive gay sex. In addition to their spatial isolation from the city, the piers were also isolated culturally and temporally.

From the Statue of the Bench: Four Centuries of Abuse

Sameer Riaz — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 20:35:56 +0000

Figure 1: New bench in Cabot Square, Étienne Brière, 2021.1

The Face of a Nation Divided: Discrimination Immortalized Through the Monticello on the Jefferson Nickel

Sara Cipolla — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 21:09:22 +0000

Figure 1: The “Jefferson Nickel” (obverse), 1970.

Indifference, Injustice, and Identity: Multiculturalism and the Model Minority Myth in Koreatown

Lauren Kim — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 23:33:37 +0000

Figure 1: Torched Buildings on S. Vermont Avenue in Koreatown, Los Angeles. (Leonard, Gary. Torched buildings, Los Angeles Riots. 1992. Photography. Los Angeles Photographers Collection, Los Angeles. TESSA Digital Collections of the Los Angeles Public Library.)

Strike a Pose: The Importance of Black Queer Spaces in the Late 20th Century, by John Vaccaro

laura.difiore@mail.mcgill.ca — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 06:00:40 +0000

Harlem’s Imperial Lodge of Elks, commonly known as Elks Lodge, is located on 129th West Street in Central Harlem, New York City. It was constructed from 1922-24 and designed by African American architect Vertner Woodson Talley (1885-1949).

Speculations on Race and Space: Targeting a Race through their Architecture, by Gloria Wang

race-space.arch@mcgill.ca — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 19:11:21 +0000

In the very first lecture of Architectural History 2, I distinctly remember Professor Annmarie Adams showing our class a photo of the capitol riots, which occurred only a few days prior. Rioters clambered up the stairs of the Capitol building, waving various flags and signs expressing hateful extremist views. Professor Adams expressed that whenever people want to attack or overthrow a regime, they attack the associated architecture through vandalizing, looting, and forcibly occupying the building.

Toys build Empires. Or How Toys Act as Tools of Architectural Colonialism

Hermine Demaël — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 19:11:18 +0000

Note Throughout this reflection, I use the umbrella term “Indigenous Peoples” to refer to Native people and communities living in North America. This reflection addresses the erasure of Indigenous individuality and traditions by European toy manufacturers. While this reflection does not refer specifically to one Indigenous group, North America is home to many people with rich and diverse traditions, histories and languages.

Now… using racism to advertise exotic products

Dominique Dubé — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 21:38:09 +0000

Advertisements often use subliminal messages for sales. The 1956 advertisement for Mengel Doors posted in the shelter magazine House and Home goes further by blatantly capitalizing on racism for sales. The company, located in Louisville, Kentucky, promotes their doors and matching plywood panels made from Gold Coast Cherry wood. Emphasis is put on this particular type of wood, the words ‘Gold Coast Cherry’ appear in large and a considerable proportion of the poster is occupied by an illustration of the wood’s detail.