We Won the War Against Poverty!

Stuart Fowkes, creator of Cities and Memory, published a call asking artists to re imagine a curated selection of field recordings from 36 countries around the world to develop brand new compositions on the theme of sustainability, equity and well-being in cities. The project launched at the C40 Summit in Buenos Aires in October 2022. I had the honour to be one of those artists.

I started from the idea that the organisation of the city and its meeting spaces have a profound impact on society.

I then collected real and existing examples of hostile architecture, bringing them to the extreme, the worst possible scenario, where no type of aggregation is allowed if not linked to consumption.

No aggregation without consumption!

"The fight against poverty is won by physically eliminating the poor" this the slogan of the time of terror framed, through a narrative device, in the past, a time as different as possible from a much more harmonious and inclusive present.

Check out all tracks included in the album and check also the C40 Summit: Global & Smart Cities Talk that brought together the mayors of global and regional cities, business leaders, philanthropists, campaigners, youth leaders, scientists and residents, to share bold ideas, showcase innovative solutions and stand together to create a sustainable, prosperous and equitable future.

What is Art, in all the wrong places?

Characters who can't always be trusted. Because they often don't see the difference between sound and noise, between countryside and abandoned building, between fiction and reality.
I explore sound, speak languages and talk to strangers. This is my work.
AIR Member. www.cristinamarras.com

We won the fight against

poverty.

Poverty has been eradicated, the poor erased, disposed

of.

We won, the poor lost.

It wasn't easy at first, understanding how to

tackle the issue.

Many embarked upon the crusade against poverty, many

failed.

Because for centuries governments thought that the enemy

was the system.

Capitalism, neoliberalism, gentrification, predatory tourism.

What had been ignored is the simplicity and

elegance of the equation.

If you really want to win the war

against poverty, you eliminate the poor.

And so we did, with subtlety but intent.

In a time where urbanisation has reached its

peak, it has been only too natural to

intervene, starting from the city, shaping its structure

to influence behaviour.

We have used urban planning as a picklock

that has allowed us to unhinge the sick

social fabric of aggregation.

We unleashed urban demons through unpleasant design, contraptions

designed to discourage sociability, the inescapable appeal of

uncomfortable benches, anti-homeless spikes, razor-sharp sidewalks,

cement blocks in the urban spaces designed for

social gatherings and colonised by the poor.

Even before being smart, our cities became radical,

wiping out those guilty of having an aptitude

for gathering without consumption.

Our smart city became a metropolis of exclusion.

The space for non-profitability is not contemplated.

The spirit of aggregation demonised.

WORKISM IS THE ONLY RELIGION.

Thank you, Martin.

Excellent work.

You gave us a vivid reconstruction of the

time of the military regime of hostile architecture.

You transmitted a real feeling of what it

must have been like during those dark past

years.

You demonstrated excellent research skills.

I believe that it is important to bear

testimony for the young generations to show how

easy it is for a society to fall

into a reign of terror.

It is only a few decades from us,

but it is light years away from where

we are now.

From our society that prioritises health and wellbeing.

A community that is constantly reflecting on what

an equitable, healthy and climate-safe approach to

wellbeing looks like for cities.

Thank you, Martin.

And let me close this gathering with a

thought for the founding mothers.

Those who sacrificed everything for giving us this

truly green, resilient and equitable city to live

in will never be complacent.

And now please, if you want to follow

me into the garden, we have prepared quite

a feast of biodiverse and sustainable foods and

drinks.

Follow me.

Thank you again.