“No-negotiation Theater”
︎︎︎Design, concept and production
Tong Zhou, Ruiqi Shang, Weisi Ma
︎︎︎Date
September 2017
︎︎︎Status
Concept
︎︎︎Location
New York (NY)
︎︎︎Instructor
Christina Goberna, Tigran Kostandyan
︎︎︎Credits
Pictures by Tong Zhou
︎︎︎Description
Airbnb stormed New York City rental market in 2010s, overturning many longterm rental spaces into shortterm ones especially for tourists, which, preferably to the landlord, bring more instant income. However, it suddenly caused a shortage in regular rental market, making thousands of longtime local residents leaving their home.
Among all the neighborhoods in the city, East Village suffer the most during the share economy change. The neighborhood used to be the home for many off-off-broadway theaters as well as other underground culture back to 70-80s since the low rent attracted young artists. However, as they built up there career there, East Village also became the next target of gentrification and tourism. Now Airbnb came, everyone loves the neighborhood but the locals are forced to leave.
A site-specific sympolic project thus comes in. As opposed to the homogeneous space Airbnb lanlords would prefer, three buildings occupied by Airbnb in East Village would be selected and par-tially demolished. Its living function would be exchanged for three off-off-broadway theater spaces. They follow the same ideas: Theaters should boldly resist commodification and homogeni-zation brought by sharing economy. Theaters should be applied with a parasite pattern to ur-ban space. Theaters should challenge fixed stage/audience configuration. Theaters should challenge the relationship between acting and watching. Construction of a theater should be part of the performance.