When most people think of architecture, they most likely don't think about large barriers of concrete and barbed wire, and houses built as a barriers rather than a home. For many Palestinians, this is what architecture means to them. Places they once called home have been torn into battlegrounds and flattened to allow for Israeli forces to move in and occupy the West Bank. Known around the world as a hot zone for conflict, it is no surprise to me that even something like architecture is affected. It is how architecture is used within these battles for occupation that I find interesting. In Al Jazeera's "The Architecture of Violence" Eyal Weizman talks about how the rebels would duck in and out of alley ways and fight the occupation in the streets between their homes. They depended on the architecture for defense and safety, and used it as an offensive tool as well. On the other hand, architecture in the midst of war can become irrelevant: Israeli forces began moving from area to area through the houses by knocking holes through walls instead of constantly running into ambushes on the main streets. This tactic is interesting because it shows that architecture can either be one of the most important factors in rebellion, or one of the first to be destroyed. It is not something most of us are used to, but for many people, this is an unfortunate reality.
When most people think of architecture, they most likely don't think about large barriers of concrete and barbed wire, and houses built as a barriers rather than a home. For many Palestinians, this is what architecture means to them. Places they once called home have been torn into battlegrounds and flattened to allow for Israeli forces to move in and occupy the West Bank. Known around the world as a hot zone for conflict, it is no surprise to me that even something like architecture is affected. It is how architecture is used within these battles for occupation that I find interesting. In Al Jazeera's "The Architecture of Violence" Eyal Weizman talks about how the rebels would duck in and out of alley ways and fight the occupation in the streets between their homes. They depended on the architecture for defense and safety, and used it as an offensive tool as well. On the other hand, architecture in the midst of war can become irrelevant: Israeli forces began moving from area to area through the houses by knocking holes through walls instead of constantly running into ambushes on the main streets. This tactic is interesting because it shows that architecture can either be one of the most important factors in rebellion, or one of the first to be destroyed. It is not something most of us are used to, but for many people, this is an unfortunate reality.
Comments
Post a Comment