Heterotopia

I will generate and/or seek out visuals that index, represent, or illustrate the multiple ways in which the city of Austin, Texas can be said to function as a heterotopia; one that is simultaneously thriving and toxic. In one obvious sense, Austin is heterotopic in that it has long held a popular reputation as a “weird”, young, and progressive oasis in a sea of Texas conservatism. But behind this boast worthy distinction there lies another, more insidious contradiction. Austin regularly tops the charts on the best US cities in which to live, work, and to visit, coming in at #1 on the US News and World Report’s list of Best Places to Live in the USA for the past three years. However, in stark contrast to this report and reputation, Austin is the only city of its size in the US whose black and brown population has been in a steady and appreciable decline for decades. In this project, I will utilize this contradiction to explore the differential toxicity of place, working with local activists, scholars, and residents of Austin to look for those heterotopias, those other and/or “othered” spaces, that both enable and disturb Austin’s more utopian representations.