Practice Research

Having recently moved to the south, I have been experiencing a big increase of catcalls. Ever since moving to Rotterdam the South has always been considered 'dangerous' for women. However, in my opinion, there is a lot of prejudice attached to this statement.

For my research, I have been having conversations with friends about the topic of catcalling and have been trying to see if there are specific areas where it is more prominent.
For this I also asked on Instagram for experiences and related them to location.

It was impossible to pinpoint an area because the amount of participants was nowhere near sufficient.

Recently I had a worrying experience in the lift to the Maastunnel. It was midnight and I was on my own, a man get in the lift with me last moment and in the lift he says: 'I'm going to follow you'. I knew this wouldn't be possible as he was on foot and I was by bike, however it did not

eliminate the fact that he was a threat.
The Maastunnel is under camera supervision however they have no audio footage of what is said in the tunnel. The tunnel is probably the location i am most afraid of when returning home from a night out.

The maastunnel website is very focused on the history and nostalgia of the tunnel. It even has a tab for stories, including poems, photos, audio files, etc.

On the left you can see a story by a man for which the tunnel had a big significance in his childhood.

He mentions 'I was thrilled to walk through that long tunnel/

Reading this I wonder if others see the tunnel in this way. I value the connection it makes from the city to the south, but my experience in the tunnel has made me wary and nervous during its usage.

LAWS ON CATCALLING IN ROTTERDAM

It is by law illegal for anyone to catcall another citizen. However, in the case that an offender is prosecuted for such a

crime, they are often let go free of charge and protected from the law of freedom of speech.

THREATENING ENVIRONMENTS

I collected a few images that I instantly associate with harassment. There is something about a dimmed lit up space that makes me feel extremely aware of my surroundings and anxious about the absence of passer-bys.

I often associate the neon lights with bars and backrooms where men often grab waists to move you out of their way. Trying to act less drunk then you actually are just so you don't become a target.

A: THE BODY MOVEMENTS IN THE SPACE

- people enter the tunnel by lift and stairs with or without bike
- to get in the tunnel people are obliged to get off their bikes
- when they arrive in the tunnel they can get on their bikes
- they then are able to cycle to the other side of the tunnel
- they then get the elevator or stairs up to the ground floor
- people do not linger in the space, it is a space of motion and travel
- some people whistle in the tunnel, some play music out loud, some are screaming what seem like random noises to their friends
- the space is accessible to everyone and is supervised by people working for the maas tunnel, in case of an accident and for assistance (for example, carriage driving, displacement of the rental bikes,..)
- the people using the maas tunnel are various types, including workers, students, families. It is free to use and inclusive to anyone that is able to travel there,
- their movements are quite robotic, the direction of the visitor is preset
- the only observable social groups are groups of people that are travelling together. These groups mostly cross the maas tunnel together.
- mostly people travelling on their own
- around 4,500 cyclists use the tunnel daily

Descend with stairs or lift

Cycle through the tunnel
Or walk through it (only after 8pm)

Exit with stairs or lift

Experience someone going through the maastunnel.

VISUALISATION OF BODY MOVEMENT IN THE MAAS TUNNEL

B: THE SPATIAL SETTING

- people enter the tunnel by lift and stairs with or without bike
- to get in the tunnel people are obliged to get off their bikes
- when they arrive in the tunnel they can get on their bikes
- they then are able to cycle to the other side of the tunnel
- they then get the elevator or stairs up to the ground floor
- people do not linger in the space, it is a space of motion and travel
- some people whistle in the tunnel, some play music out loud, some are screaming what seem like random noises to their friends
- their movements are quite robotic, the direction of the visitor is preset
- the cycle directions are divided by two solid lines, preventing people from cycling on the wrong side of the cycle path
- the only observable social groups are groups of people that are travelling together. These groups mostly cross the maas tunnel together.
- mostly people travelling on their own
- accessible to everyone that is able to travel to the tunnel, there are rickshaws available for people that are not able to cycle
- equipped with a lift and stairs for access
- the tunnel is under camera surveillance and is monitored by people that work there

VISUAL MAPPING OF SPATIAL SETTING

most important urban river crossing

TALK WITH LISANNE OLDEKAMP

Lisanne is the project manager of Rotterdam’s policy on street harassment.

Here are some notes from our talk:

- street harassment not being able to be punished due to freedom of speech
- no basis anymore to give out fines to catcallers
- currently trying to create a new law that would override this

-launched in 2017 and reached its peak
- since then, users dropped drastically
- lack of users -> research is not as accurate as it could be
- through the app they are able to identify hotspots to which they can send enforcement, who are trained in identifying and dealing with street harassment
- no longer able to distribute fines because of freedom of speech law

react in a way you think you are capable of
- recommended not to hit a cat caller as this can escalate the situation
- find a way to diffuse the situation and if possible to educate

- keep a constant awareness around street harassment
- get men involved in the conversation and let them educate others aswell
- they don't want victims to have to prove that they were harassed, but offenders to recognise it themselves

Listen to full conversation here.

Biggest struggles so far and at the moment:

C: THE WIDER CONTEXT OF THE SPACE

- 1933: decision to build a tunnel underground, would of been impossible to build a bridge that tall due to the port traffic coming through the river 'Nieuwe Maas'
- 1937 to 1942: the tunnel was built
- pre-fabricated tubes that were sunken into a trench that was dug in the river floor. Two adjacent tubes are for motorised traffic (2×2 lanes). Right next to those there are two stacked tubes. One for pedestrians, on top of which there is one for cyclists.
- the construction was finished during the time of the Nazi occupation on the 14th february 1942 and there was a secret ceremony without participation of the Nazis
- 1950s, 40,000 cyclists used the four escalators on either side of the tunnel every day.
In the morning three were used in the direction of the centre and in the evening it was the other way around.
- Nowadays around 4,500 people us it a day, this is because of an increase in tunnel and bridge construction

- bicycle tunnel is 585 meters
- It lies 20 meters below the surface
- After the first bridge in 1878, the Maastunnel was only the second permanent connection across the river
- oldest immersed tunnel in the Netherlands
- The architects were JP van Bruggen and Ad van der Steur (see image below)

Even though Dieter is not a Rotterdammer, he does feel proud. 'The Maastunnel has history for everyone. For Rotterdammers it is really a lifeline and they all have a story to tell. It is now also my tunnel. I am proud that we will soon be returning it to the city. '

DIETER VAN STRAVEREN

CONSTRUCTION OF TUNNEL

THE MEANING OF THE TUNNEL

Looking through the Maastunnel website, it is obvious that it has quite a deep meaning for a lot dutch people, especially Rotterdammers. There is even a tab on their website that shows all the stories linked to the tunnel and shows gratitude towards this connection from south to north.

It is interesting to see how people associate the tunnel with such personal stories. After having had multiple conversation with friends, I notice that the tunnel is not seen in such a romanticised way for everyone.

I have recently come across multiple situations in the tunnel related to street harassment and have become very aware of my surroundings when using it, particularly at night.

Its architecture definitely plays a role in this, for example when you enter the tunnel either via stairs or lift you are forced into an enclosed area with a one-direction traffic route. In case of harassment there is no escape route, one is basically forced to flee. There is camera supervision in the lift and throughout the tunnel however there is no audio sound.

DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES

Due to the surveillance, it is not dangerous to go through the tunnel, however verbal harassment is still prevalent, which can turn into a threatening situation depending on what happens after exiting the tunnel.

This has caused me and some friends to use the stairs at night as you are not alone with a someone else throughout the elevator ride.

SECOND PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT

For the second part of the assignment, we ask you to (1) redefine your research question more specifically and reframe it towards a proposal and (2) propose an intervention that queers your space in any form (using performance, installation, visual campaign, fashion etc...).

You can queer a space by challenging its politics and social dynamics or by making the social norms happening there visible.For example, if your research question was ‘how do women experience the train station at night?’ then your question for a proposal could be ‘what makes a train station feminist?’. Then you could propose as an intervention for example to occupy the train station with a big crowd of women and investigate how that changes the dynamic of the space.

CHARACTERISTICS OF HARASSMENT

- goes unseen and unheard most of the time
- brief
- creates an unsafe environment for women
- occurs every day

- Make installation of a dress with quotes on it from peoples experiences and attach a tunnel of love flyer with it linking to online street harassment database. (downside is if people surround themselves around it, its not corona friendly)

A stand where people can write their stories on paper and throw them on the floor for others to read. (Con people probably won't stop or dare to take part in it)

Have a flyer designed to look like the tunnel of love promotion but links to my website, which will be put in a flyer stand in the Maastunnel pedestrian zone.

ANTI HARASSMENT WEEK

*What’s the Problem?*
_Catcalls, sexist comments, public masturbation, groping, stalking, and
assault. Gender-based street harassment

makes public places uncomfortable and frightening for many girls, women,
and LGBQT people. It limits their access to public spaces.

*_What is It?
_*Meet Us On the Street: International Anti-Street Harassment Week is an
opportunity to collectively raise awareness that street harassment
happens and that it is unacceptable. Hundreds of groups and thousands of
people in multiple countries participate every year.