This intervention responds to the disciplinary protocols and the dynamics of its ad-hoc expressions in the Highbridge pool. Enforced regulations such as the ‘White T-Shirt Rule’ and the ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ operate to suppress self-expression and compel uniformity by involving intense surveillance that insists individuals act under control. On the other hand, unceasing gang violence and racial and gender discrimination were acknowledged as the backdrop of discipline throughout the research that emphasized exclusivity in a space that was initially intended to be public. Even with a greater emphasis on control, the Highbridge pool continues to face criticism regarding safety and access.
The intervention is designed to be a hybrid structure that provokes the polarity of both aspects and invites patrons to have a broader mutual understanding. Furthermore, it increases awareness of the history and means of discipline by shifting to a more distributed set of operations against the control society, amplifying the ad-hoc expressions.
As the next step, the water of the pool is hijacked through the fire-hydrants in Washington Heights. Typologies of un-capping the fire hydrants provide a lateral system for mutual aid and pervasive participation of individuals to recover solidarity and publicity and create social bonds within the Heights.
