BLOCK TOWN Launch

‘Commonsensical as it sounds, the block blocks. A trivial business, indeed. A certain ambiguity, however, hovers on the meaning of such a blocking act: meant to signify protection, the block also enacts restriction, containment, asphyxiation of public space. ……The block stands in the way, heavily so.’

Andrea Mubi Brighenti from his essay accompanying Block Town.

In the aftermath of a devastating series of vehicle attacks, rows of concrete blocks were installed around a city’s landmarks, ringing its major streets, shopping malls and stations. Initially an emergency measure, these forms of crude, defensive architecture remained in place for seven years, becoming part of the everyday life of the city.

Through stark cinematic black and white images, Block Town traces how the alien geometry and abrasive surfaces of the blocks became part of the fabric of the city, echoing the gridded streets of the colonial era. Over time, the protective arrays became walls for graffiti, street furniture for gatherings and memorials of crime scenes.

Part sober ethnography, part journey into a dream world, Block Town unfolds over hundreds of pages, presenting a detailed portrait of a fortified city living through a global pandemic.

Skilfully designed by Yanni Florence to harmonise with the book’s contents and featuring an essay from Professor of Social Theory at Trento University in Italy, Andrea Mubi Brighenti, Block Towntells the story of lock downs; a hallucinatory, relentless portrait of a city in a period of transformation.