ABSTRACT
The analysis of Williamsburg concentrates on different aspects of camouflage, with illegal loft conversions being the most dominant form. The first artists moved to Williamsburg in the 1970s, drawn by the low rents, large spaces available and convenient subway connections to Manhattan. This migration continued through the 1980s and increased significantly in the 1990s as Manhattan's artist communities became gentrified. The conversions bring about a disparity between exterior and interior spaces, seen and unseen, a gap that is represented through the roofs and interiors of the proposed Olympic buildings. Some of the proposed Olympic buildings are transient while others are permanent. The overall effect of the project is the exhilaration and disorientation of a circus. A circus of camouflaged roofs envelops and opens up private and public events and programs in Williamsburg and the Olympic site and simultaneously problematizes the interior configurations of space which support these activities.
