(Paris') Charlie Hebdo Pavillon

Je suis le Pavillon de Charlie : Freedom of Speech Vs Censorship

 The freedom of speech is an inalienable and fundamental human right to which every person is entitled by being a human. Unfortunately, this law is not implemented everywhere in the world. Most people who enjoy these rights in the western civilisation do not reflect on their value and take these rights for granted. Not everyone is aware of the great gift which the freedom of expression is. People start to esteem the freedom of speech once they are confronted with censorship. Censorship can be defined as an attempt to control and influence any information by restriction in order to prevent certain contents from public eyes and ears. Therefore, censorship is the very reverse to the freedom of speech. Censorship appears in many different ways, also in the western civilisation where for instance the media is partly controlled.

 

In order to demonstrate the importance of the fundamental right of free speech, this project aims to create a sphere that temporarily and artificially restricts the freedom of speech in order to point on the importance of these rights. Once people are confronted with heavily censorship they experience the value of a gift they have taken for granted.

Furthermore, the project shall honour all those who have bravely fought for these rights and have given their lives for it. Also, it shall encourage everyone to value and defend the freedom of expression against censorship.

 

The project aim’s is to highlight the disparity between censorship and free speech and represent the same in form of this architectural concept. The pavilion is characterised by two volumes, which are confronted with each other through their asymmetry but orientated on the same vertical axe. The under volume is situated around the patio house – an open and communicative space called the Free Speech Zone. The top volume is characterised as a sealed area and surrounds the Free Speech Zone, this space is called the Censorship Zone.


FORM AND STRUCTURE

 

The project’s purpose is to sustainably take advantage of 16x6m and 4x9m containers. 

Those are essential for the construction as they enable the (re-)building of the pavilion in an easy and fast manner, which supports

the temporary quality of this project. Moreover, the container forms can be easily stacked up and give a solid structure around the patio

to build the cantilever between the ground floor and the first floor.

 

Two bottom containers are stuck in the ground. They will be used for the cafe and for the staircase, which directly connects the patio, the entrance, and the performance area. The other containers build the main structure of the two floors and the terrace. They are also used as the framework for the textile curtain. Also, the numerous black light fluorescent tubes in the facade, and the spotlights which illuminate the patio at night, will be attached to the frame.

 

The asymmetry between the two volumes will then be designed by illustrating two different textile curtains. The space between the curtain facade and the two boxes in the main floor will create new areas that are used as the performance area. Behind two different asymmetric volumes, there is a simple modular structure.

CONCEPT AND PROGRAMM

 

The Free Speech Zone will be designed as a patio house, which connects the reception with the stair case and gives access to the two upper floors and the roof, which is used as a terrace. The patio house will bring natural light inside the building and opens the heart of the pavilion outwards trough the terrace. This shall be a metaphor for the freedom of speech. On the main floor, the patio connects the café with the performance area, and the staircase. In fact, the patio is the centre area of this project.

 

The presentation of free speech begins in the patio with the twelve-meters high Free Speech Glass Wall, where people can express their thoughts and write them down. The Free Speech Wall extends the top of the pavilion outside in form on the terrace.  As the glass wall stands for the freedom of speech its roof penetration shall demonstrate that the free speech is stronger than any kind of censorship as the truth always finds its way through.

 

The Censorship Zone is designed as a sealed room and framed with fluorescent black tube prison bars. It surrounds the core of the Free Speech Zone and contains the exposition area, two censorship rooms, the conference- and workshop room.

 

The exposition area is designed as a dynamic and unique space. The Walls of Censorship, made of fibreboard plates, design another asymmetric volume inside the Censorship Zone, as they symbolize confrontation. It contains articles about the freedom of speech, Charlie Hebdo covers and photos of the victims of the Charlie Hebdo assassination. The Censorship Rooms, in the middle of the exposition area, are two glass rooms that show the visitor how it must feel like when the freedom of speech is temporarily taken away.

EXPOSITION AREAS: THE FREE SPEECH WALL, THE CENSORSHIP ROOMS AND THE WALL OF CENSORSHIP 

 

The importance of free speech will be explained trough three different and interactive installations within the pavilion: The Free Speech Wall, the Censorship Rooms and the Walls of Censorship.

 

The Free Speech Wall is a twelve-meter-high glass wall, that starts from the ground floor in the patio of the Free Speech Zone and goes up outside the pavilion.

The glass wall overtops the terrace on the roof top. Visitors can easily write or draw on the Free Speech Wall as it is accessible from every floor as it located directly next to the stairs. The Free Speech Wall can be illuminated at night; this shall support the importance of the free speech. 

 

The Censorship Rooms are two glass cubes that are accessible from the exposition area. The separating wall between the two rooms is a one way mirror, that creates special interactions, depending in which room the visitor is. 

In room #1 the visitor can speak in a microphone, he is heard in room #2 and is also able to watch the person in there. In room #2 the visitor can only see himself, he hears what the person in room #1 says but he is not heard in room #1. 

 

The Walls of Censorship are the scenographic concept, which organises the exhibition. It is a volume within the volume, which leads to a confrontation in the Censorship Zone. The walls are made of fibreboard plates, organised in a 60x60 cm patterns, which either have the same depth like the wall or are structurally 10cm lower or 10cm higher. The three picture frame reliefs of different depths highlight the presented image and make each article or photo unique. The so created wall displays many Charlie Hebdo cover pages, which can be seen from the patio as well. The famous masterpiece of satire can be taken as the example for free speech and the freedom of expression in general. This freedom is given to the visitors who can add their thoughts to the Free Speech Wall.