Day 48 of the 100 Day Studio: Over 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, divisive walls are being constructed all over the world – for example, along the US-Mexico border, and on the fragmented edges of ‘Fortress Europe’. In the light of this context, James O’Leary, Associate Professor and Programme Director for the MA Situated Practice Programme at the Bartlett School of Architecture, examines the contentious pasts and possible futures of the Northern Ireland ‘Peacewalls’. In 2013, the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (OFMdFM) in Northern Ireland set a target of removing all ‘Peacewalls’ and interface barriers by 2023. Due to multiple factors both local and governmental, only limited progress has been achieved to date. Using material from the Peacewall Archive – a digital archive which aims to document the steady growth and hesitant removal of interface barriers in Belfast from 1969 to the present day – we will explore the ‘peacelines’ as a highly resilient system of division and control and further examine the polarising impact they continue to exert over their adjacent communities. In a resurgent era of conflict-related wall building, what can we learn from over 50 years of the infamous ‘Peacewalls’ in Belfast?
100 DAY STUDIO
The 100 Day Studio is a new series of online lectures, interviews, building tours and panel discussions, organised by The Architecture Foundation. For 100 weekdays from Monday April 6th 2020 to Thursday August 27th 2020, the 100 Day Studio will host many of best architects and architectural thinkers in the world, broadcast live and uploaded here on this channel. The curriculum for the week ahead will be announced each Friday at architecturefoundation.org.uk/news/100-day-studio
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