(sub)Division — Libby Rowe

Upon arrival in San Antonio, Texas, USA in 2009, I was baffled by the extent to which the city had been divided into named and structured subdivisions. Never before had I felt so isolated by the domestic landscape. The development of the subdivision has often been presented as a community-building construct. In contemporary suburbs, this idea of parceling up the land into manageable plots in the name of facilitating development has led to maze-like neighborhoods that emphasize privacy over camaraderie, separation over society, each tract isolated by never ending lengths of fencing. Where once you would think nothing of knocking on a neighbor's door for a cup of sugar or an egg, people now live without knowing their neighbors beyond an impartial hello, or a passing wave as they pull into their garage. Like factories, these neighborhoods encourage homogeny, each family striving to present themselves as the "Perfect Family".

With this in mind (sub)Division explores the false structure of the modern neighborhood through familial and societal disconnection to question perceptions of safety within closed communities. 24 houses, made from found and borrowed imagery, scrutinize relationships within families. The houses, placed around a double ended cul-de-sac with no entry and no means of escape, create a forced community with inhabitants who are anonymous and autonomous, yet who seemingly trust in the prescribed principles of society.

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