![]() ParaSITE has also disrupted the epidemic of invisibility and alienation that continues to marginalize our cities' homeless. It has created a platform where, through the appearance of "strange" inflatable technology, the curious passerby might seek to engage the inhabitant, in discussion: no longer hidden in the periphery of our vision, they are afforded some level of equality and importance. In New York City, the project took on new life in conjunction with then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s Winter 1999-2000 enactment of the city's "anti-homeless, anti-tent laws". According to this law, any structure, domed or otherwise, standing in excess of 3.5 feet above the ground and capable of housing someone inside, is considered a tent, and use of the structure on city streets is considered illegal camping. The inhabitant of said tent can be ticketed or arrested. ![]() Given the incidence of homelessness in New York City, these laws are clearly meant to anticipate the possibility of “tent cities” and to prevent against an appropriation of “public” space. In response to the ordinance concerning height, one homeless man, Michael M., raised the question of what would happen if his shelter was shorter than the 3.5 foot maximum, thereby challenging the defensive efforts of the city and circumventing the law. The resulting shelter stood only 18 inches above the ground. If he was questioned, ticketed or even arrested by the police, he could argue that the anti-tent laws did not apply because the shelter is not, in fact, a tent. In reality, the police were intrigued by this subversion and a discussion would often ensue between Michael and the officers. After measuring the shelter, the officers would move on. Thus, what could have been perceived as a drawback illuminated some of the fascinating loopholes that exist in this specific municipal infrastructure Michael M. He completely revolutionized the project: many homeless people that I designed for subsequently sought a lower, more compact design to address the same laws. The project was inspired by research I had completed as part of a one-month architectural residency in Jordan, in January 1997. ![]() ![]() While there, I had focused on the tents and equipment of the Bedouin. As nomadic desert tribes, their shelters take into account the way that the wind moves through the desert via a sort of aerodynamics: the rigid pole networks that anchor and support the fabric skin of the tent are often positioned at specific angles so that the tent does not collapse. ![]()
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