Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment

Decoding your city: A brief history of the securitisation of urban spaces

Trafalgar Square in lockdown, 2020
Trafalgar Square in lockdown, 2020 Photograph: Henrietta Williams

How much do you know about your city? The implementation of security measures within cities and communities go back thousands of years, from the digging of forts by anglosaxons to protect cattle during sieges, to the impressive castles whose structures we now see as ruins.

In this lecture with artist and researcher Henrietta Williams, you will be taken on a virtual walking tour through the urban design of cities, to better understand how they work and - critically - how they fortify themselves against enemy attack. You will learn that from being a thing of the past, urban securitisation has in fact evolved from the Roman Wall that encircles part of the City of London, to the complex network of technological surveillance known as the Ring of Steel.
Suitable for anyone with a general interest in urban landscapes and how historical advancements continue to contribute to our ways of living today, and incorporating videos and photography with group discussion, Henrietta’s immersive masterclass will lay the foundations for your curiosity to be sparked.

Course content

  • What is urban securitisation?

  • The Roman Wall: how urban fortification is a central design principle to all cities

  • The Ring of Steel: exploring the contemporary surveillance and security installation introduced to combat the IRA bombing campaign of the 1990s

  • Group discussion

This course is for…

  • Anyone interested in urban design and understanding how cities function

  • Anyone interested in discussing the politics of public space and exploring the history of security systems within cities

Tutor profile

Henrietta Williams is an artist and urban researcher. Her practice explores urbanist theories -particularly considering ideas around fortress urbanism, security, and surveillance. Her projects have been widely screened, exhibited and published in the UK and internationally, most notably at the V&A Museum in London and on the front page of the Guardian. Henri is currently based at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, where she is a Lecturer and working towards a PhD focused on aerial surveillance over London. This might be completed in 2021. You can see her website here and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

You will be sent a link to the webinar 1hr before the start time of 6pm (BST).

Details

Date: Tuesday 20 April 2021
Times:
6pm-8pm (BST)
Price: £38 plus £2.04 booking fee
Event capacity: 60

This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.

6pm BST | 7pm CEST | 10am PDT | 1pm EDT

Information on Guardian Masterclasses

To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.

All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible - but please contact us if you have any queries or concerns.

Returns policy

Once a purchase is complete we will not be able to refund you where you do not attend or if you cancel your event booking. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.


Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.