78. Occupy Wall Street
International / Various (including OWS Architecture Working Group,
OWS Screenprinters’ Guild, et al.)
Set off in September 2011 with protests in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan, Occupy Wall Street uses the takeover of public spaces as a means to protest economic inequality. Under the slogan “We are the 99%,” the movement quickly manifested as global “instant cities”—tent encampments complete with civic services such as first aid, canteens, and libraries that supported the needs of protesters living outdoors for weeks. Protesters deaveloped a number of clever systems and tactics that have continued to grow. In Zuccotti Park, the Screenprinters Guild created a portable system to get messages quickly onto t-shirts and banners, while Greta Hansen, a member of the OWS Architecture Working Group, led a team that developed 123 Occupy, pop-up shelters using everyday materials such as shipping pallets and bubblewrap.
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