The Bentway as Hostile Architecture
A call to reinvest the work’s production budget into community initiatives by establishing aid networks to disseminate resources to local affinity groups.
The Bentway as Hostile Architecture demands the reinvestment of the work’s $10,000.00 production budget into community initiatives, by establishing aid networks to disseminate resources to local affinity groups between October 2020 and June 2021 — in keeping with The Bentway’s fiscal year. This project questions the efficacy of temporary installation initiatives, and instead looks to divest power, platform, and space by prioritizing the agency of communities. It allows for self determination through ongoing, coordinated communication with BIPOC community leaders, those working with folks living in encampments, as well as other affinity groups who may otherwise seek aid to maintain their operations.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Phat Le & Benjamin de Boer
Phat Le and Benjamin de Boer took different paths to arrive at their current collaborative practice — Le is a student of architecture and de Boer is a poet. Their projects are united by their use of concrete. They embrace the material’s malleability and ubiquity, positioning it as an entry point for civic engagement; regarding the harmful implementation of hostile architecture and a lack of affordable housing in the city of Toronto.