Squatting of Kulttuuribunkkeri as space, place and field

Interpretations of photographs from museum archives depicting squatting by youth in Joensuu in the late 1980s

Authors

• Reetta-Mari Kellokoski Itä-Suomen yliopisto
• Ari Sivenius Itä-Suomen yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.112083

Keywords:

squatting, youth, space, place, field, representation

Abstract

In this article, photographs depicting squatting are examined as representations. The study asks how the 1989 squatting of Kulttuuribunkkeri (Culture Bunker) in Joensuu is represented in photographs. The analyzed material consists of photographical archival material held at the North Karelian Museum’s archives. Our theory-guided analysis focuses on interpreting seven photographs from the archival collections of the newspapers Viikko Pohjois-Karjala and Karjalan Maa through a conceptual understanding of place, space and field. The photographs depicting the squatting of Kulttuuribunkkeri embody multidimensionality in interaction related to squatting. The photographs show the squatting activity as a mutual sense of community. For the youth, this is presented as an opportunity and a demand for change. On the other hand, squatting is depicted as an illegal and norm-breaking activity between the youth and the rest of society. The photographs of the squatting of Kulttuuribunkkeri both challenge and reinforce conventional conceptions of squatting.