Trespass/L’Intrusion

2025-12-06T15:02:05-06:00

Vendor: Ethel Milford
Type: Consignment Books
Price: 30.00

"Trespassing is an action that runs counter to the design of a city. Trespassing means physically to enter without permission, but also metaphorically, to subvert and ignore the rules and norms of the city. To trespass is to critique the concept of ownership, the idea that we must pay, obey, or ask permission to occupy urban space.

In a forest, wandering feels natural; in a city, not as much. This is due to the architecture, the grids, the precision, the fences, the boundaries. The nature of urbanism, of human-made architecture, shapes certain feelings, emotions, and actions. Resisting these forces takes practice, patience, and energy—like swimming upstream.

Guy Debord, in his critique of capitalism, argues that the spectacle (his term for life under advanced capitalism), which is a primary cause of alienation in society, relies on non-intervention. As such, any attempt to destroy the spectacle must provoke people into action, transforming them from passive spectators into active ‘livers’. Trespassing is an act that disrupts this non-interventionism, facilitating new encounters with the city."