Spatial responsibilities during informal public events

This article focuses on the question of responsibility with regard to organizing informal events in urban public spaces. The concept of responsibility is analyzed from a spatial perspective by asking what kind of responsibilities people have for the shared spaces of the city, and for the others with which they share those spaces. This article provides an empirical case study of a protest-festival (protestival) called Art Slum (Taideslummi), which was organized annually in the city of Turku, Finland, between 2007 and 2013. By organizing an event in a public park, the local activists aimed to provoke discussions about the usage of public spaces in the city. However, in 2011, Art Slum was evicted from the park by the police and city authorities because of suspected acts of vandalism and disorder. This article examines different kinds of juridical, ethical, and practical aspects of responsibility related to Art Slum, concentrating especially on the anarchist ethics and practices behind the event. It is suggested that responsibility for the city can be perceived either as a restrictive, constructive, or subversive practice, depending on how it affects the ‘publicness’ of an urban space. This article argues that all these three forms of spatial responsibility are needed if the aim is to accomplish public spaces that are simultaneously accessible and political.