ADS4: Hero

Flirting with Disaster

Can our disproportionate fear of disaster be used as a tool to increase community cohesion and become a catalyst for urban regeneration?

What defines city living for a paranoid generation bombarded by iconic images of disaster? Inspired by American studies where, post 9/11, 80% of adults said that they “had an increased appreciation for their families”, while others suddenly had the urge for intimate contact leading to “Terror Sex”, a new form of speculative housing emerges in Westminster to cater for our everyday fears. Staged re-enactments prepare residents for statistically unlikely disasters, lucky escapes or heroic failures, whilst a landscape of antibacterial gardens fortify an immune system in fear of dirty bombs.