Representing Pasts – Visioning Futures
Abstract
A photograph displaces the viewer into another world, into a frozen-fluid past. It not only makes one inhabit the past but also exposes one to a ‘lived space.’ Even when a place ceases to exist, it continues its existence through photographs. But this medium to experience ‘lived space’ is often exploited and manipulated by its creators to produce a manufactured reality. This paper aims to investigate the image of a ‘lived space’ through the use of photographs in the portrayal of Chicago during the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. The fairgrounds referred to as the ‘white city’ depicted a false reality of Chicago. This was cast in history through the photographs of the World’s Fair, opposing the reality of a city made out of steel and concrete, skyscrapers, factories, and squalors – the real city; the ‘black city.’ In assessing such a dichotomy, one wonders what authority can the author exercise in creating a ‘lived space’?
Hamza Aziz is currently pursuing MA History and Critical Thinking at the Architectural Association (AA). His ongoing research is on re-territorializing the ‘public’ in order to better understand the aftermaths of speculative real estate developments. He has previously worked with Rashid Rana for Eart exhibition at Manchester International Festival 2021. He has also served as the only architect member of the Design Review Committee for the planning of Aurora Knowledge Park, Pakistan. He has worked on building a model for non-speculative housing.