02/04/2020
The delineation of “space” is both precise and esoteric. Public space. Private space. Safe space. Contested space.
INTERZONE is situated on the cusp of the Pensacola city limits, straddling the line between the City of Pensacola proper (white) and Escambia County (gray). Each its own entity, these powers have the ability to tax separately, govern separately, elect separately, and even police separately. The immaterial “edge space” created between these two sectors embodies disparities in class, race, income, histories, and privilege. The erratic, puzzle-like twists and turns this border travels, cutting right through the middle of whole city blocks, might seem arbitrary if they weren’t so historically strategic. The thick, red gash between the two zones is as political as it is psychogeographical.
On paper, and for all municipal intents and purposes, INTERZONE is located in the county. But given the ambiguous and autonomous nature of border spaces and the question of who truly governs within the uncertain thickness of that line, the determinations of where, what, and how can only be made by the bodies within it. This projection of ambiguity and autonomy is poetic, poignant, and energizing. We should seek to continue the ongoing work towards liberation on this frontline, in the connective tissue of juxtaposition, and relish the opportunity to create and operate in its elusive form.
