Presented as part of State of Tyranny by Theo Deutinger

March 29th – May 4th, 2019

97 Kenmare Street, New York, NY

Tyranny Trail Guided Tour Dates:

Saturday, April 13th:

11 am–1 pm

3 pm–5 pm

with Ingrid Burrington

Friday, April 19th

3 pm–5 pm

with John Michael Kilbane

Saturday, April 20th

11 am–1 pm

with John Michael Kilbane

Friday, April 26th

11 am–1 pm

3 pm–5 pm

with Rebecca Manski

All tours are free of charge. Guided tours depart from Storefront for Art and Architecture’s gallery space and end at the 9/11 Memorial. The estimated duration of the tours is two hours. Please wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk in areas with high pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

How do we understand tyranny? Tyranny defines contemporary culture, and though it is often talked about conceptually, its more subtle spatial manifestations have a real impact on our cities and public spaces. Despite a steady rise in street-level activism, hostile and defensive design have gradually and quietly transformed our buildings, parks, and homes into sites of surveillance and societal control.

As part of the exhibition State of Tyranny, Storefront presents the Tyranny Trail, which follows a route through the streets of Lower Manhattan, beginning at Storefront’s gallery space and ending at the 9/11 Memorial. The trail, developed by Theo Deutinger, highlights methods of control such as roadblocks, wedge barriers, and other anti-terror measures. It also highlights smaller-scale “quality of life” interventions that are more inconspicuous in our urban context, such as anti-skateboarding devices, anti-homeless bench design, and anti-graffiti paint.

On four dates in April, guided tours will be led by experts whose work addresses related issues. Guides include: Ingrid Burrington, a researcher and writer who explores the often-overlooked physical landscapes of internet and surveillance infrastructures; John Michael Kilbane, a photographer who has recently documented hostile architecture in New York City; and Rebecca Manski, an independent researcher and educator whose work in the Wall Street area considers issues of displacement, occupation, and decolonization.  

For those who cannot attend scheduled tour times, the Tyranny Trail can be walked as a self-guided tour. Detailed maps of the route, available at Storefront’s gallery space, contextualize each stop of the tour, enabling visitors to explore the Tyranny Trail on their own.

Read about the tour guides and learn more here