Virtual Phase: Storytelling + = B Ody

Premise production does not equal empowerment

silvia federici : it is an error to consider that remunerated work is the key to 'liberate' women this project seeks to challenge the assumption that womens liberation involves their mere incorporation into the productive world of remunerated work reproductive work is indispensable for todays society but it is devaluated and naturalised as 'womanly' this project reflects on the celebration of reproductive life instead, silvia federici

“Science fiction and fantasy serve as important vehicles for feminist thou- ght, particularly as bridges between theory and practice.” — Elyce Rae Helford

Woman on the Edge of Time (1976) is a novel by Marge Piercy. It is considered a classic of speculative science fiction as well as a feminist classic. It illustrates these themes using a utopia to explore a society in which gender differences or gender power im- balances do not exist.

Marge Piercy moves between a reve- lation of our present society and a startling twin projection of the pos- sible future, where social segregation involving gender, race and class disappear. bservations

O 'Segregation by income has increased in major European cities, with the worst culprit being Madrid.' 'Extreme cities'

In Europe, cities are likely to become more divided as the impact of the 2008 financial crisis really starts to bite. “The crisis has probably caused inequality to rise in Europe,” says Van Ham. “But there is a serious time lag – five to ten years – between rising inequality and when it affects cities.”

SPAIN: NEW POLITICAL PANORAMA LED IN LARGE PART BY WOMEN

Ada Colau - Social Activist elected mayor of Barcelona in 2015

Manuela Carmena - Elected mayor of Madrid in 2015 with Past election results (above) and predictions for elections in December 2015 (below). Emerging political parties strong bid for resolving social issues cause a major change in the Spanish political map. New parties have a strong interest in addressing social issues. Diagrams: 2011. Spanish Ministry of Internal Affaris. [Online] 21 November. Available at: http://elecciones.mir.es/resulta- dosgenerales2011/99CG/DCG99999TO_L1.htm [Accessed: 22 October 2015]. 2015. Canal Hablamos?. [Online] 15 February. Available at: http://www.canalhablamos.es/2015/02/encues- ta-intencion-de-voto-online.html [Accessed: 22 October 2015].

‘Madrid is the most segregated city in Europe – not due to an influx of property speculators, but rather a lack of affordable housing,CLASS which, for example, forced young people to stay living with their parents’.-The Guardian

B MADRID INCOME DIAGRAMS A-% of residents in executive positions B-% of residents in unemployment

Class: Geoghegan, P. 2015. Which is the most segregated city? [Online] The Guardian. 28 October. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/oct/28/which-is-the- worlds-most-segregated-city [Accessed: 28 October 2015] Guillén, B. 2015. La brecha entre ricos y pobres en Madrid, la más grande de Eu ropa. [Online] El País (Spain) 18 October. Available at: hhttp://ccaa.elpais.com/ ccaa/2015/10/09/madrid/1444416065_033414.html [Accessed: 18 October 2015] RACE Race: 2014. Racism and discrimination are a serious human rights problem.[Online] Amnesty international. Available at: https://www.es.amnesty.org/noticias/noticias/articulo/el-ra cismo-y-la-discriminacion-son-un-grave-problema-de-derechos-humanos/ [Accessed: 18 October 2015] GENDER -

- onsuelo amos C R H ypothesis

Radical change in the world does not happen overnight. In this project, I have begun looking at a specific process of change marked by 3 actions or stages. Consuelo’s ‘revolution’ is divided in three phases:

- The first one is VIRTUAL PHASE> story telling – this is the natural first step to communicate different ways of looking at the world. Feminist theories and ideology for example began through literature, such as the book I chose to inspire my character-client.

- The second one is the EPHEMERAL / PHYSICAL PHASE > public space celebration – many times ephemeral events such as car- nivals and other forms of celebration in public space have led to significant changes in a given environment, other times they have served as a valve of escape from society’s rules and routines.

- The third stage is the PERMANENT > transition into the established – one I don’t think has been explored much yet, involving the question of how does one move from the ephemeral to the established, and whether the qualities of the former get lost in the transition.

body body building room room community community building

VIRTUAL storytelling

EPHEMERAL / PHYSICAL public space celebration

PERMANENT transition into the established Project Aims

HOUSEWIVES - Housewives are a powerful work force at the core of the capitalist system, sustaining its foundations: 1- To reinvent the role of the housewife from invisible exploited worker to meaningful actor for social change

TECHNOLOGY - Through the internet, Housevives have intinctively claimed for themselves a right that society has systematically denied to them to this day- the right to see themselves as members of a meaningful collevtice: 2-Propose to take this phenomenon further and provide a platform for hosuewives to unionize and highlihgt themselves as powerful and indispensable work- force.

RURAL DRIFT - 3- To highlight the huge potential of abandoned rural areas to imagine and test alternative ways of living, promoting collectivity over individua- lism and equality over segregation; as well as more sustainable habits from building construction to everyday life.

SOCIETY - 4- To imagine and illustrate how settlements may be designed and organised considering a feminine/reproductive life point of view, inspired by the dreamt world of the character Consuelo Ramos described in the sci-fi novel by Marge Piercy.

Consuelo

Wants to change the world

identifies housewives YouTube identifiesas starting platformyoutube as platform

then

organises youtuber’s an apology of reproductive life reproductive of an apology convention

through which 

AN ABANDONED VILLAGE IS REFURBISHED

ALTERNATIVE LIVING  better balance between productive and reproductive life Some do not believe the solution to the housewive’s issue lies in remunerating their work, ousewives as this would ‘freeze’ women in their domestic situation and prevent them from accessing - DATA - the labour market. Others ar- In recent history women have gue that remuneration would increasingly taken part in the entail a better appreciation for remunerated work market, with this necessary work. It would 1 million having been pushed to not freeze women at home as H work in Spain due as a result of it would be a job that also men ‘Women bring hidden wealth’ - The This makes of women one of the most the financial crisis. Reproduc- would be able and have voca- CSIC (Spanish council for scienti- unprotected collectives on a social tive work has been devaluated, tion to perform. Introducing fic investigations) conludes that- do level, and at the same time the one and in the majority of cases housekeeping as part of the mestic work would make up 55% of of the worst treated working groups. working women must also dedi- labour market would break the the regional GDP if they were to be This job is performed in isolation, cate their time to housekeeping, invisibilization of housewives, acccounted for. 133% if multitasking highlighting the need for a union and which deducts time for leisure, thus inhabilitating this power- is added to the sum, equivalent to new forms of cooperation. reflection, collective gathering ful weapon for submission and 15.000 working hours per year. and protest. exploitation. CONTROVERSY 3 in 1 women take up this non-remunerated job in Spain, making up With the 2008 financial crisis, 73.4% of the total population dedica- an increasing number of men ted to the task. have become ‘housewives’, es- pecially those formerly working ‘I DON’T WORK, in the building industry. At the sime time, only 3% of women who identify as housewives are younger than 35. This is part- ly due to the belief that female I AM A HOUSEWIFE’. liberation is tightly linked to becoming a productive worker, and also due to the increasing number of young Spaniards having to stay living with their parents. This has generated a demand for education on domestic skills and the appearan- ce of contents on the matter on online platforms.

Data: Doncel, L. 2006. La riqueza escondida la aportan las mujeres. [Online] El País (Spain). 6 July. Available at: http://elpais.com/diario/2006/07/06/madrid/1152185055_850215.html [Accessed: 9 November 2015]. Delgado, S. 2013. Amos de casa. [Online] 28 November. Available at: http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/11/21/ eps/1385033007_347715.html [Accessed: 9 November 2015]. 2014. Sueldo amas de casa. [Online] Plaza Podemos (Forum) . Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/podemos/comments/2fmnuw/sueldo_amas_de_casa/ [Accessed: 9 November 2015]. Daniela. 2014. ‘Yo no trabajo, soy ama de casa’ [Online]. Proyecto Kahlo. 1 August. Available at: http://www. proyecto-kahlo.com/2014/08/yo-no-trabajo-soy-ama-de-casa/ [Accessed: 9 November 2015]. Ssociólogos. 2013. La figura del ama de casa se desdibuja debido a la crisis y al cambio sociológico. [Online]. Ssociólogos-Blog for sociology and news. 6 June. Available at: http://ssociologos.com/2013/06/06/la-figura-de- ama-de-casa-se-desdibuja-debido-a-la-crisis-y-al-cambio-sociologico/ [Accessed: 9 November 2015]. Jiménez, J. 2013. Un millón de amas de casa buscan empleo y más hombres se quedan en casa. [On- line]. El País (Spain). 25 August. Available at: http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2013/08/24/empleo/1377371282_663962.html [Accessed: 9 November 2015]. Requena, A. 2014. “Es un engaño que el trabajo asalariado sea la clave para liberar a las mujeres” [Online]. eldiario.es (Spain). 25 May. Available at: http://www.eldiario.es/economia/engano-trabajo-asalariado-liberar-mujeres_0_262823964.html [Accessed: 9 November 2015]. García, C. 2015. Señoras que hacen ‘unboxing’ del Mercadona. [Online]. Verne-el País blog (Spain). 10 Sep- tember. Available at: http://verne.elpais.com/verne/2015/09/08/articulo/1441707031_353997.html [Accessed: 9 November 2015].

A community of housewives – youtubers have found in this website a platform to make their Youtuber housewives are a closed-knit com voices heard, sharing the stories of their daily munity who dialogue and communicate about work, involving tips, reviews, advise, etc. the issues related to their work. It has eliminated- the barrier of distance between these workers, Through it, they make the most menial tasks of formerly isolated in space. It therefore has the their domestic lives visible, such as unpacking the potential to constitute a platform for a formal groceries or working out on the static bike. They union of housewives to emerge. bring their knowledge outside of the domestic realm, a knowledge that is often overlooked but This constitutes an exciting starting point for a is actually really useful to many, as life does not change towards the recognition of housekeeping really train us for domesticity. as a remuneration-worthy job. which could potentially entail a revolution in the structure of

the capitalist society. Virtual phase: storytelling + = B ody

placeholder image - initial rhino model for body design Virtual phase: storytelling + = B ody

Programme: Worker’s Gear and Housewive’s Union Meeting Point Consuelo’s Opportunity: Share her thoughts with the housewife community and organise a meeting IRL

The body design is story-telling device, a shopping bag that unfolds into a work station for a youtuber. In this case, it also serves as a sort of antenna to have portable wifi in the abandoned village, and has solar flowers to catch sunlight and provide heating, electricity and lighting. A version of this body device can serve as lamppost – portable and usable in off-grid environments, fulfilling a variety of functions such as night-time story telling, bus stop or simply heated street bench connected to the wifi. THIS IS MY WORK GEAR, IT IDENTIFIES ME AS A MEMBER OF THE HOUSEWIFE YOUTUBE ‘I DO WORK, I AM A HOUSEWIFE’. 1:6 model prototype COLLECTIVE.

Folded Body Device > Housewife Work Gear

PROTECTION AND COOPERATION

ON MY YOUTUBER WORK STATION I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED TO CONNECT WITH MY COLLEAGUES.

Unfolded Body Device Virtual phase: storytelling + = B ody ‘I DO WORK, I AM A HOUSEWIFE’. placeholder image - second iteration rhino model prototyping working out a construction sequence and joint details Virtual phase: storytelling + = B ody ‘I DO WORK, I AM A HOUSEWIFE’. placeholder image - second iteration rhino model prototyping working out a construction sequence and joint details

1:1 physical model iteration - modified details to make structure more resistant to heavier loads (to be explained further prior to january hand in) Virtual phase: storytelling + = B ody ‘I DO WORK, I AM A HOUSEWIFE’. Virtual phase: storytelling + = B ody ‘I DO WORK, I AM A HOUSEWIFE’. Virtual phase: storytelling + = B ody ‘I DO WORK, I AM A HOUSEWIFE’.

addition of l plate to strenghten unaligned rods = torsion

addition of cables to stabilise

explanation of weight issues

deformation diagrams Virtual phase: storytelling + = B ody ‘I DO WORK, I AM A HOUSEWIFE’. placeholder image - third iteration rhino prototype based on 1:1 analysis

deformation diagrams

broken pieces due to load ural rift R - DATAD -

THE CASE STUDY of changing Sicilian settlements - The density in a zone rural: < 10.000 in one area larger density =1.6 The semi-public location of between Teruel, Cuenca inhabitants than belgium-> inhabitants/km2 housewive’s work in courtyards and Guadalajara is less meant they had both visibility and than that of the arctic access to important social polar circle. information and influence. Demographers depict a rural Spain without future. of which 7% < 15 aged and masculine to fix it: 7,5 or 20.000 and 30% > 65 population births/yr/woman migrant women/yr

Modernist reconstruction of towns demographically 75% of towns min. services -> most deserted DATA ‘dead’ area no connections area in europe On the rural are ‘remote’: no attractions

Reconstruction brought a new living arrangement, which was more private and often seen as more honorable. Sicilian housewives accepted it, thus no longer involved in the important flow of information consti- tuted by gossips in the courtyards and across balconies, etc. which enabled them to be a part of the public arena. MEASURES The rural world is not a postcard - ‘The first step to stop depopulation is to settle inhabitants. It is important to achieve an at- tractive job market, which is to maintain the new population linked to the territory. All social agents must be involved’. ‘We are rural, but not prehistoric’. ‘I am happy, but it is easier for me as I have a car, it is more difficult for old people with poorly adapted homes, or for families, with children. They have more needs and these towns are not operational for them’. Initiatives to rejuvenate the rural population have included auction programmes where land sites were sold at low prices. This has proved successful in attracting people, particularly foreigners from nor- thern European countries working free- lance. Other initiatives have considered putting full villages on sale, or making them ‘thematic’, such as through the orga- nisation of yearly medieval tournaments. Featured below is a successful initiative:

Data:

Efe, 2013. El pueblo ‘más envejecido’ de España empieza a dar pasos para atraer jóvenes. [Online] eldiario.es, 28 January. Available at: http://www.eldiario.es/politica/pueblo-envejecido-Espana-empieza-jove- nes_0_95190857.html [Accessed: 22 October 2015].

Gómez, L, 2014. La España Terminal. [Online] El País, 18 October. Available at: http://politica.elpais.com/ politica/2014/10/18/actualidad/1413646246_977522.html [Accessed: 22 October 2015].

Pérez Mendoza, S. 2014. La Laponia española queda entre Cuenca y Guadalajara. [Online] eldiario.es, 16 November. Available at: http://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/Espana-desaparece_0_323717749.html [Accessed: 22 October 2015].

Unknown, 2015. En busca de apoyos para luchar contra la despoblación rural. [Online] Federación española de municipios y provincias. 22 October. Available at: http://www.femp.es/CartaLocal/Front/Noticias/CL_Con- tenidoDetalle/_sYcniRvuy5mSQCEiAF0W81rtO9k9E474MUm2_rtg1eg [Accessed: 22 October 2015]. Virtual phase: storytelling Ephemeral phase: Celebration

before: now: + = oom = < > ; =

PROTECTION AND COOPERATION R OPPORTUNITY FOR LEISURE

Programme: Youtuber Housewive’s Convention Participant’s Accomodation (Adults) Consuelo’s Opportunity: Test her ideas about alternative living arrangements

The room layer is designed as a kit to quickly start inhabiting the derelict houses in the semi-abandoned depopulating village. It is a room that comes in a bag, consisiting of a kit of hooks, textiles, sunlight/heat flowers, and some foldable furniture to adapt abandoned homes to human comfort.

The room design will include devices to foster the enjoyment of individual leisure time.

The building layer is a kit extension to the room. A fast solution to refurbishing a building shell and adapt it to human comfort. It consists in a series of textiles which are inflated inside the house, to the point where they stick to the walls. Once stuck and soli- dified (see inflatable concrete refuges for reference), the air pressure can be removed. Each textile can solve a different need (structural, thermal, drainage, ornamental, etc.) and they can be layered on top of each other. Virtual phase: storytelling

+ = oom

PROTECTION AND COOPERATION R

placeholder image - iteration rhino room design under way Ephemeral phase: Celebration

+ > ommunity - part 1 OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATION C

Programme: Youtuber Housewive’s Convention Pavilions OPPORTUNITY FOR LEISURE Consuelo’s Opportunity: Test strategies for community living spaces and activities

OPPORTUNITY FOR DEBATE C ommunity C ommunity Ephemeral phase: Celebration before: = now: < > ; = uilding - Pavilion 1

OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATION Programme: Youtuber Housewive’sB Convention - Consuelo’s Temporary Pavilion Consuelo’s Opportunity: Test programme that merges duties with entertainment and socialisation

PROTECTION AND COOPERATION Consuelo feels good about exercising and likes to share tips about it with her colleagues. Doing YouTube tutorials about it also help make it more pleasant. Out of all the duties she has at home, the one she enjoys the least is having to do the laundry. OPPORTUNITY FOR LEISURE Consuelo imagines an initial activity for the YouTuber’s convention, in which she recuperates the old village tradition of community laundry washing. In her updated version, however, this is done in mecha- nical washing machines connected to gym equipment like her static bike. This new gym is located by the the old village washing site, which is transformed into a swimming pool to cool down after the workout. This intervention is located by the water well at the heart of the village, and from it will stem the rest of the convention’s activities and sites.

placeholder image - more details to be added B uilding - pavilion 1

placeholder image - more details to be added Long-term phase: alternative village dismantled > village reconstruction C ommunity - Part 2

Programme: Village living for internet entrepeneurs Convention pavilions are dimsantled or rearranged to initiate a longer-term refurbishment phase

placeholder image - more details to be added - heart marks consuelos house and washing pavilion site