Everything in its place...

I think that through my wanderings for this photo blog I have acquired a new fascination with city “cages” and walls (barricades). “Cages” I call them, (since they house the urban animal) in the form of fences, gates, burglar-proofing or wrought iron fixtures on the perimeter of stores, empty lots, houses, parking lots or buildings. They  serve a multiplicity of functions. Physically,they may act as landmarks for the boundaries between plots that have been allotted to landowners (thereby indicative of ownership) over the vast area that the city occupies. They are part of a city’s plan since it pertains to the measurement and control of space and upholding of order and power. These barricades have many styles. Some “cages" are plain as the diamond pattern of regular mesh fencing or can be very ornate with skilfully bent metal shapes or some are dangerous like the barbed and razor wire meshes placed atop walls. Walls have a wide range of heights and can be constructed with say… stone or concrete.

Moving away from the physical however, these barricades have a purpose that is sometimes ambiguous and lost to my consciousness,but are reflective of the strained interactions  between persons who live and traverse the urbane. Are these structures meant to restrain us from venturing "out of line", to protect us from endangering ourselves or do they perform both duties at times? Clearly put, the same barricade that protects us can  endanger in an emergency (imagine being trapped in a heavily burglar-proofed house in a fire). 

Understanding the motives of the persons who erect these internal borders and also the feelings of the persons who stand on either side of these barricades can also be explored in terms  of the message the structures send about ownership.(Try window shopping when all the city's stores are closed after work hours or when you have no money...what feelings does it elicit for you? It is rather depressing.) With that said, we may see why during times of civil unrest, there looms the threat of mass looting as people scale and cut through property boundaries to forcefully  and illegally acquire what they desire…the unleashing of a primitive urge perhaps?

The presence of cages and walls then can be a sign of existing or impending conflict and tensions within a space. It is not a far-fetched idea…two persons who have a disagreement and share a space may section off that space not only to shield themselves from contact with the person(s) whom they find unpleasant but to demarcate personal jurisdiction. Recall the cry of Beetham Garden residents prior to the grand Fifth Summit of the Americas which was held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad in 2009. Due to the location of the impoverished community (alongside one of the main routes into the city) and its reputation for nefariousness, residents found themselves being “holed in” in their community as the government erected a huge wall along the Beetham Highway. Administration was probably anxious to hide the living conditions of these people from the eyes of the heads of state and high ranking officials that were due to pass by the community on their way to the opulence of downtown Port-of-Spain. Hurt that they would be denied the opportunity to witness this grand spectacle and particularly the entourage of the United States’ first black president, the Beetham residents voiced their displeasure.  Although I have my views on the case, I am not questioning the ethics of the administration’s move, only the symbolism of erecting a wall and the message of exclusion and discord it was conveying- that these people were not “fit” to be a part of this event because their presence was not beneficial to the country’s development image.

“The five-foot-tall wall is simply a beautifying touch, say government officials, who have spent months prepping for the arrival this week of 33 leaders including President Barack Obama at the largest and most important gathering of hemispheric leaders. But to those who live behind the wall, the structure means something else: It’s a symbol of years of broken promises, government neglect and the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.”

                                                                                                

 The Miami Herald via the Trinidad Newsday, 2009

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,98718.html

My above ramblings on cages and walls and their function may seem a bit “random” or “looney” according to one of my friends (haha! Thanks Gin) but my reflection was borne from observing the photo below.

Caging the trees now...Frederick Street, downtown Port-of-Spain

This photo was taken as I walked due north, up Frederick Street in Port of Spain, in the vicinity of the Francis Fashions’ store. The image of the trees in a metal barricade jumped out at me because in contrast to the rationale I gave earlier, I saw no purpose for the metal enclosure in this instance so it spurred my inquiry into the purpose of barricades in the first place. In this case,what is the purpose of putting the metal fence around a tree on the pavement? Does the tree pose a threat to humans? Do we pose a threat to it by wanting to cut or uproot it? Or has our need to demarcate all space   just gone wild? We are obviously using the tree for its aesthetic value- to beautify the pavement but  to me, it is as if we’re telling the tree “You're here because you look good but you must not get in our way by expanding too much lest you encroach on the space allocated for the pavement path.” That is one interpretation whereas others might suggest that humans are naturally destructive and the tree must be 'protected' in order to grow.
  

So then, how and when we use cages and walls within the city is quite varied. Who is allowed to come and go as they please through the barricades and what are the consequences? That is another kettle of fish...