Torre de David - The Tower of David

This came onto my radar from last weeks episode of Homeland.  It was depicted in the show as being a residence for the belligerent and poor of Caracas, Venezuela to reside as a byproduct of a corrupt  government and social system.  But upon watching the Ted talk presented by Iwan Baan, I have seen it's benevolent manifestation of human condition to take control of their situation and make from it an existence that gives the people who reside there hope and dignity.  The persona shown in Homeland is to me a reflection of the beliefs of the politicians in Caracas who seek to eradicate this problem once the country has economic stability.  Advising that the Tower as it is, is not a place for squatters, they have to this day given them permission to live there or asked them to leave.

Photos by Angela Bonadies y Juan José Olavarría

Chris Arkenberg, 2013, www.concretedub.com

The slums encroaching on Caracas; A As Architecture

The reason the Tower of David known also as the worlds tallest slum, exists is due to the fact that the owner of the building, financier David Brillembourg, passed away in 1994 a year before the Venezuela economic banking crisis hit.  It's ownership was resumed by the government, this building, which is 60% completed, is a reminder to the government of not only their economic situation but the housing and social care for the country and city's most vulnerable.  It is estimated that 2 500 000 homes are required to reach the demand for housing within Caracas.  Caracas has rich oil deposits and other resources that instead of using it for their people, they use it for political gain.

Photo: U-TT/Daniel Schwartz

Within the Tower 2500 people across the 45 floors with the first 28 filled with families have made it home, as the rents are high and the residents some of whom work in the banks have had no other option than to seek to reside there.  The bad reputation of the Tower that of rapes, murders and drug activities, is generated by media and political influence to build a social bias towards the need to remove the occupants of the Tower.  Though as the slum that surrounds Caracas is consuming the hills in essence like a wave, the increase of residents within the tower is growing as the sense of community and the appeal of solid walls offers security.

The residents, not the government, have worked together to install services of electricity and running water within the tower, established businesses like barbers, corner stores and seamstresses have built an economy within the tower.  A motorbike taxi service exists to take people up to the tenth floor as there are no lifts.  They have built stairs to floors that previously were not accessible.  The residents initial claim to a space is made by hanging sheets and then over time permanent walls, kitchens and the necessary frame work to have a large enough apartment that will house their family is established.  These people have provided for themselves what their government has not.

Photo: U-TT/Daniel Schwartz  (a store within the tower.)

Photograph: Daniel Schwartz/Urban-Think Tank

Even though the Tower is a reminder of failure to the government, it is a symbol of hope to those who loose their homes due to heavy rainfall, other natural disasters and financial circumstances to be able to find a solid roof and embracing community.  The Tower of David is a symbol of human condition to be able to give hope and enable the residents the opportunity to turn something from repurposing that which has been abandoned.  Even though they have been rejected by their state, which sadly seems to be more common in countries that have forgotten to consider their nation as a whole when finding solutions, these people have shown that given the means to they can stand up again.

How my interest became a blog topic.

Thinking back on what made the politics of things an important topic for me I think completes a full cycle of understanding life.  I grew up in a small North Queensland town where options were minimal, one private and one public high school, the private being Catholic and the public being for everyone else.  The minorities established their architecture to reflect their place in the history of our town.  The Catholic Italians established multiple churches, the private school and most of the businesses were owned by this demographic.  The racial majority of the Italians, even though the Chinese managed a  strong influence in the population to help establish this new frontier of Far North Queensland over 100 years ago.  The political architecture that is the Chinese Josh house in the main street of town, symbolises the fact that the Chinese community was strong in Innisfail and found refuge in Far North Queensland when the White Australia Policy was introduced only when it was withdrawn did the Chinese community all but disappear back down south. 


But this was all lost on me until the reading of a paper on the political nature of artefacts within a topic for Uni, this brought the proverbial light bulb moment for me.  The reading of the Robert Moses bridge designed in the 20's to stop public transport therefore the poor and the coloureds going onto parkways to this day still has the same impact, no public transport can ride it.  Even though he had influence over legislature, banks and unions 'his remaining influences were his technologies' (Winner, 2006).  This made me consider all the architecture that had influences on society not only in my small northern town, via the Catholic Italians and the Chinese and indigenous cultures but globally.  Also how it and what is was originally designed for and how it may have gathered a political presence as time goes by.

This social and political influence through technologies and artefacts gave way to another interest, communications, understanding the political influence within art, music, architecture and how that impacts the subliminal meanings of conversations.  Understanding on one level of communication through not knowing and understanding on another level through connecting the dots of influence through knowledge.  This got me curious to develop my ability to give more depth and understanding and ease through my ability to investigate and connect the political and social nature behind stuff-artefacts.  This topic and the unfolding potential of uncovering a nuance of the outreaching impacts of developments that in the past may have escaped my previous topics of discussion and investigation is something that I find exciting.

With my passion for travelling and the exploring I engage with of not only geographical and social effects but conversations with the people and their cultures along the way.  Recently after traveling through Dubai and uncovering the dissent within the community of how their city has been built on the blood of slave labour imported from India and other arab countries over the past 30 years.  Which we, the tourist, flock to because of the amazing architecture and the superiority of everything they have to offer to entice our senses in world first experiences. Or the 7000 year history of Malta and how the noble families of Europe invested in this 22 mile long country to assist in the victories of war, of which there were many, as this island was a political and strategic stronghold to those who wish to succeed in conquering Europe.   

In seeing how the evolution of life, culture and society is really filled with aspects that connect us all humanly through evolutions of architecture, art and social mediums such as music, film and theatre, this ability to explore this topic allows me to feel well positioned in my world in relation to the unspoken and diversely understood perspectives of the people I meet.  Not to judge but to understand and make sense of it for me who these people are and the essence of the culture that they come from, whether they be European, American, Arabic or New Zealand, it is their culture that forms the people, through developments of technologies and social structures of arts, we meet and we all have  political views and alignment and that is all built upon by our unique histories.