Artists Space

Architecture & Design Project Series:
L.E.F T:
Squatville

March 4 – May 9, 2004

Within American suburbia, city planning and zoning practices have left traditional living spaces isolated and surrounded by corporate zones for shopping, working, and recreation. Taking this as a starting point, L.E.FT investigates the zones of contact between the domestic and the corporate.

Text superimposed across a deep green and blue image of architectural blueprints depicting both structures and topography. Small white text on the center right side of the image reads, "L.E.FT : SQUATVILLE / 03.09 - 05.01.2004 / ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN PROJECT SERIES." Large yellow text running up the left side of the image and arranged such that it reads from the bottom to the top of the image reads, "ARTISTS SPACE."
[Text superimposed across a deep green and blue image of architectural blueprints depicting both structures and topography. Small white text on the center right side of the image reads, "L.E.FT : SQUATVILLE / 03.09 - 05.01.2004 / ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN PROJECT SERIES." Large yellow text running up the left side of the image and arranged such that it reads from the bottom to the top of the image reads, "ARTISTS SPACE."]

Squatville uses a subtractive approach to encroach upon the various corporate models that stimulate different functions of domesticity. The domestic becomes franchised into the corporate; next to a hotel, Home subtracts its bedrooms, next to a restaurant, its kitchen. Its degree-zero is its self-demise, a total parasite living on its surroundings.

L.E.FT is a NYC-based design collective comprised of architects Makram el-Kadi, Ziad Jamaleddine, and Naji Moujaes.

Squatville is made possible, in part, through a generous contribution from the New York Metropolitan Chapter of the AUB Alumni Association of North America.