James Haynes

First Movement: A 'happening' is a moment, a structure that is ephemeral in appearance and nature. The architectures presented here typologically concur, offering themselves as monuments to protest, mechanisms to disrupt what would otherwise occur; the 'happenings' are facilitators of protest, they offer height, shelter, space to gather, places to play.

The occupation of Ocean Terminal, the Tober, occurs in three movements, a triptych of stages, choreographed to allow for an immediate burst of action, intense occupation and community engagement beyond the here and now. To begin, three structures appear, ‘The Immediate Protestor’, ‘The Objector’ and ‘The Present’, tasked with beginning the protest. The structures invite protestors to climb, to gain height, to remove themselves from the ground upon which they once stood. This action is filled with purpose, it is an attempt to disrupt removal, it is an attempt to allow for a permanent presence on a non-permanent site.

Second Movement: Following an initial impulse of activity, the ‘fairground’ begins to fill the Tober, it begins to take shape. As this happens the focus shifts, the emphasis moves from the immediate to longevity, structures appear designed to support use, namely; The Veiled Observer, The Lookout, The Quiet Poet, The Attendant and The Debater. Each serves a different function, however, collectively their role is the same; to preserve interest in the debate, in the protest, in the efforts to save the site. Significantly the arrangement facilitates considerations of expanded horizons; horizons not limited to the boundary the 'happenings' sit within. Plainly, the architectures begin to look outwards, engaging in conversations with the wider urban scape.

Ways of Seeing, John Berger: “Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognises before it can speak. But there is also another sense in which seeing comes before words. It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world; we explain that world with words, but words can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it.”

Third Movement: Following two stages of occupation, the third moment of the development provides a momentous shift, a move from protest to play, the 'fairground' takes on a new life.

The Facilitator, the final structure, enables this move through providing a conditioned space, a space versatile in both form and function. The Functionalist knows its purpose, it is aware of the role it holds. Importantly, the structure becomes the focus for events, activities radiate from it, the site gains a life throughout the year.

Whilst such proves significant the act of protest is not forgotten, the original structures stand strong, resolute in both function and form.