Rights of Way

Rights of Way, the body as witness in public space takes our bodily movements as a departure point to cross into the terrains of art, culture, architecture, sociology, literature,
and politics, to envision varied forms of witnessing, and apply them to our direct environments. When many must still campaign to claim their stake in the public realm; when hate crimes and acts of institutional violence persist in the public sphere; when cities continue to grapple with the effects of mass surveillance, precarious citizenship, widespread gentrification, and divisive body politics, we seek to question, challenge, and re-envision who have the rights of way.

This publication comprises a collection of essays, interviews, texts, and images from a range of artists, researchers, academics, architects, and historians. Together, the contributions question our positions of access and in-access in space, and, in doing so, orchestrate the act of witnessing as a vital component in providing meaning to our cities.