AKASH DHANTURI
The figure-ground drawing above depicts form and void in the República district of
São Paulo. As the historic center of São Paulo’s tumultuous urban growth and decay,
República is a charged urban space that is filled with dualities. From historic churches and theatres to Oscar Niemeyer’s iconic Edificio Copan, the area is dotted with many notable landmarks that highlight it’s historic and cultural significance.
This aerial view highlights Praça da República, a major public square that serves as a hub for education, public transport, and art among other informal functions that have organically integrated with it’s identity. Renamed in 1889 to commemorate Brazil’s newfound status as a republic, the square has been a important public space since the early 19th century. The largest structure on site, the Casa Caetano de Campos, serves as the headquarters for the state department of education. The park contains, apart from the landscaping, a playground, and a pond equipped with a fountain.
The diagram above elaborates on four of the most important occupants of the square: the main building, the park, the art fair and the metro station. Through the shaded regions above, an attempt is made to explore how accessible the square is to the occupants that depend on it most: the homeless people in the area. The areas shaded in a darker red depict spaces where entry is restricted by physical boundaries and/or legal restrictions. The lighter red areas are restricted more by the presence of surveillance systems than physical restrictions. The red curves depict the circulation of buses, cars, motorcycles and pedestrians through the space using proportionately lighter line weights respectively. Key determinants of public behavior in the space such as crosswalks, traffic lights and surveillance cameras are identified using labels. The white text-box at the bottom provides a brief outline of the urban conditions that define the region.
The ANT map attached above conducts an impartial exploration of the various functions and roles that the Praca da Republica has taken on in it’s long history as a key public space at the center of Sao Paulo. Key historical events linked to the urban and cultural history of the location are also mapped to highlight the various identities that the square has held in the collective memory of the city. Finally, the square’s relationships to other actors such as neighbouring localities, it’s inhabitants and the cultural practices that thrive within it are mapped to elaborate on the active role that the environment has played in creating and facilitating urban activity.
The animation above depicts the conscious transformation of a seemingly mundane view of the public square in the present day into a culturally and historically charged space through the use of atemporalization. The superimposition of key figures and activities from throughout the square’s diverse history helps to reimagine the space into it’s equivalent in the eyes of a viewer unrestricted by the visual limitations of a linear chronology. The nightscape is used to contrast this dramatization of the square’s history and culture with the conditions that currently plague the area. This is acheived by situating this previously atemporal space into a very specific timeframe during which the space is primarily occupied by those use these public spaces as their only shelter at night.