Places of Juxtaposition – Shopping for Sex

Spaces of juxtaposition are completely dependent on the nuances of social opinion, acceptability and acceptable behaviour. This directly links the red-light districts as places of juxtaposition to their cities.

Red-light Districts are spaces outside of society, usually away from surveillance, therefore, away from society and peers. Although, however much shameful red-light districts are seen as they still hold validity in society today or else they wouldn’t exist.

Amsterdam’s red-light district, De Wallen, double downs as a contradiction. By placing the socially unacceptable and placing it into the heart of the city it transgresses the norms and conflicts with societal standards. Compared to Canberra’s Fyshwick, where the unwanted and socially unacceptable are pushed to the far reaches of the city. Secondly the typology of De Wallen significantly differs from typical red-light districts. Red-light districts typically are featured in industrial zones and industrial style buildings, such as Canberra’s Fyshwick. Or they are hidden from sight, and behind buildings such as Sydney’s The Cross. However, Amsterdam commercialises theirs, in the same fashion a standard store would, they would sell sex as a commodity, that has been designed to be as easily accessible as a new bag, clothing, or food. Ironically these designs for De Wallen had originated as a plan of action against illegal trafficking, as all that is illegal must come through one spot, and is therefore it is able to monitored closer and easier[1][2]. Through this it is seen that social constructs heavily place conflict with the notion of red light districts in cities.

On another note, the internal mechanics of red-light districts diverge from social norms. Unlike a cinema where the viewer can and is asked to become as comfortable as they would at home, in the red-light district whilst viewing explicit content there is a large disconnect with the able for a view to participate in the atmosphere as one would at performing the same action. It is therefore said they can be no direct relationship with viewer and viewer, nor viewer and performer or performance. Everything is in a state of its own, the performer or performance acts independently of the viewer but also for the viewer. The viewer must act independently of them, but still is asked to conform to the ridged social of decency, such as a viewer cannot act sexually themselves. This is deemed unacceptable, whilst on the contrary viewing the performers or performance is spectrum of acceptability.

This analysis is over into the shopping in these districts. These districts, especially De Wallen, it is asked of the actors to enjoy shopping as though they were perusing through as Parisian boutique. Whilst being subjugated to the socially condemnable nature of shopping for sex and illicit drugs. An actor can no inhabit these spaces and can not perform these functions to the higest degree that the design askes for as the constant contradicition of these spaces inhibit any practical action and therefore the actor must subcome to the performance of iddle and partial participation.These contradictions of intended designs functions ultimately demonstrate how these spaces are Places of Juxtaposition.

Bibliography:

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4.     Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends

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10.   Virtual Tourist See recent posts by Virtual Tourist. "King Cross in Sydney and other Warnings and Dangers." SmarterTravel. July 18, 2017. Accessed September 07, 2017. https://www.smartertravel.com/2017/02/09/king-cross-sydney-warnings-dangers/.

11.   Lateline By Ginny Stein. "The changing face of Sydney's Kings Cross." ABC News. August 31, 2016. Accessed September 07, 2017. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-31/sydney-kings-cross-changing-amid-gentification-and-lockout-laws/7801502.

12.   Editor. "Capital Men’s Club: Fyshwick Strip Club Guide – Red Light Canberra." Red Light Canberra. October 26, 2016. Accessed September 07, 2017. https://redlightcanberra.com/capital-mens-club-fyshwick-strip-club/.

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[1] "Red Light District Amsterdam," Amsterdam travel guide, , accessed September 07, 2017, https://www.amsterdam.info/red-light-district/.

[2] Camsterdamn, "The Red Light District of Amsterdam," CamsterDamn | The Red Light District of Amsterdam, , accessed September 07, 2017, https://web.archive.org/web/20130520125420/https://www.camsterdamn.com/news/amsterdam-red-light-district/.