j o u r n a l o f h i s t o r y a n d c u l t u r e Figure 4 Video Stills Documenting Intervention Source: Cassi Niemann <strong>and</strong> Laura Welborn Figure 6 Memorial Boulder Construction Source: Chad Boone 32 Figure 5 Memorial Boulder Precedent, Georgia Tech Campus Source: Chad Boone
j o u r n a l o f h i s t o r y a n d c u l t u r e such statutes were used to break up lawful <strong>and</strong> peaceful protests by civil rights activists. In the particular context <strong>of</strong> Atlanta, the regulation <strong>and</strong> penalization <strong>of</strong> “loitering” was, <strong>and</strong> remains, a powerful example <strong>of</strong> the intersection between race <strong>and</strong> space. Although there are clear <strong>and</strong> reasonable safety prerogatives that might compel state action on issues such as “loitering” (however one might define that activity), in the case <strong>of</strong> Atlanta, the history <strong>of</strong> enforcement <strong>of</strong> loitering laws pitted the right <strong>of</strong> individuals to determine just where <strong>and</strong> when they might wish to pause amidst their daily routine <strong>and</strong> the desire <strong>of</strong> the state to exercise authority over the movement <strong>of</strong> certain bodies through the urban l<strong>and</strong>scape. As anyone who has spent time at a university knows, students spend a great deal <strong>of</strong> time engaging in behavior that <strong>of</strong>f-campus would certainly qualify as loitering. The location <strong>of</strong> such activity—on or <strong>of</strong>f campus—goes a long way towards determining whether it is prosecutable or not. The logic <strong>of</strong> the intervention emerged from these intertwined conditions. Using tape <strong>and</strong> chalk (to avoid charges <strong>of</strong> v<strong>and</strong>alism), two routes where marked out on the tunnel: one a blue line running directly through the length <strong>of</strong> the tunnel—a non-loitering route; the second route, in red, me<strong>and</strong>ered, proceeding in a seemingly aimless fashion, with stops along the way where those following the route were encouraged to sit an provided chair for a rest, jump over a mark, “hi-five” the wall, <strong>and</strong> pause to “reflect” (Figure 3). At one point, the two lines, red <strong>and</strong> blue, run side by side, encouraging interaction between both groups <strong>of</strong> users. On the campus side <strong>of</strong> the tunnel, chalking instructed users to pick a line to follow; on the city side <strong>of</strong> the tunnel, chalking directed users to follow a single line, which once it entered the tunnel, split into two lines, one <strong>of</strong> which was denoted as “students only.” Users moving from the city side were asked to engage in an act <strong>of</strong> self-identification, unlike those moving through the tunnel from the campus side. The students then filmed the responses <strong>of</strong> users (students, faculty, staff, city residents unaffiliated with Tech, <strong>and</strong> even police) as they passed through the tunnel during a single day (Figure 4). The playful nature <strong>of</strong> the intervention is reflected in the largely positive response <strong>of</strong> users to it, with many following the me<strong>and</strong>ering path <strong>and</strong> others dutifully following the direct route step-for-step. Even an Atlanta city police <strong>of</strong>ficer on his beat on bicycle rode the me<strong>and</strong>ering route with care. Engaged with the space <strong>of</strong> the tunnel in an unexpected way, users were encouraged to reconsider their preconceptions about the operation <strong>of</strong> the space <strong>and</strong> their own sense <strong>of</strong> identity as they moved through it. The banal, plain, <strong>and</strong> perhaps ominous site, through the joint effort <strong>of</strong> designer <strong>and</strong> user, became something quite different. Anxiety was replaced with curiosity, a swap that in 33