Artist(s): Ali Rufrano-Ruffner
Anti-homeless architecture (bench bars) removed from benches in North Philadelphia, Ikea Bed from Craigslist, Mattress, Bedding
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Anti-Homeless Architecture is an intentional design strategy that is violent towards people who use or rely on public space more than others. It often targets youth, people who are poor, people who are homeless. One major example of this is the bench bars seen all over the city (see last photo for example of what they look like - on the bench & then removed).
It is disturbing to think of the amount of time and money that goes into designing, planning, implementing and installing this kind of “architecture”. This money could be used to house people. Homelessness is not an issue that can be solved through spikes and bench bars. It is a disgusting waste of money which could be used to give accommodation and support to the people who are displaced by the systems at play, and then displaced again by this cruel architecture.
I’ve been spending the last two years removing these bars from benches with different ratchets at night so that people can fully use benches in the city. For this installation, I screwed the anti-homeless bench bars into a bed mattress so that people who are lucky enough to sleep in beds every night could begin to think about this issue, the relationship it has to their own sleeping space, their body, and their relationship to the city at large.