BLOCS
The current narrative surrounding gentrification in East Austin primarily laments the loss of affordable housing and cultural assets. Blocs seek to empower one of the existing resources available to the remaining community: their own creative talents and cultural expression. considering the recent closing of Austing HOPE Outdoor Gallery, our project seeks to create a more intimate and accessible forum for the community members to create and engage with public art. As more and more of what originally made Austin” weird” fades that. this proposal seeks to give a dedicated public space open to artists and laypeople alike to continue to foster the unique cultural climate of Austin.
+MAPPING
I-35 has divided Austin into two cities. East Austin and West Austin. East Austin has historically been home to minorities and has been less prosperous than the West due to policies promoting inequality and fewer resources such as access to public transportation. Despite the systematic inequality East Austin has a rich cultural and artistic identity that is now being challenged by gentrification. As families who’ve lived in East Austin for generations are being priced out jeopardizing the integrity of their community identity.
+ITERATIONS
Five different 7’ x 7’ x 7’ BLOCS can be oriented in different directions allowing citizens and artists alike to arrange and occupy them in countless different ways for various programmatic needs.
+COMMUNITY
The 7’ x 7’ x 7’ BLOC allows for sitting, vending, playing, painting, and protesting, and whatever else the community might need. The blocs are made of plaster so community members and artists are encouraged to express themselves through the medium of murals. It pays homage to the existing murals in the area while giving community members to continue the tradition.
