Parasitic Architecture: A Tale of Two Cities
视觉的城 无视的城

June 2020

The current global Covid 19 pandemic has unintentionally unveiled an unspoken narrative simmering in our island city state. In our city-state, there is a secondary city functioning within a primary city. The primary city is visible. This is the city we reside in - most of us. The secondary city is invisible. This is where our foreign workers reside. Both cities are in an interdependent binary. The existence of one city is predicated on the existence of the other city. A relationship built on exchange of capital.

The visible city is like any other wealthy modern city in the world: daily lives are conducted in magnificent high-rise buildings dotted across the island, well preserved colonial styled buildings for commerce, hospitality, arts, and cultural programmes, “look at me’ retail malls, residential housing estates, industries, and numerous city parks.

The invisible city operates in the shadow of the visible city, existing in parallel-like universe. The workers are omnipresent but not seen. In the shadows, workers build, clean, and maintain the infrastructure of the visible city. Its parasitic existence is predicated on the proper functioning of the visible city.

But there is a catch. The visible city is dependent on the invisible city to keep it going. A counter-parasite of a sort. Metropolis (Fritz Lang) comes true.

One day, out of the blue, a black swan descended upon us, unleashing deadly strains of coronavirus worldwide; including in our city-state.

The visible city is placed in a city-wide lockdown. Residents in the visible city take shelter in the safety of their homes. Social contact in the community is prohibited. With this, almost the entire economy goes into hiatus. The community is largely shielded and saved from the deadly virus. Fatality is small, mainly elderly people with existing chronic illnesses.

In the invisible city, it is a different story. Residents stay in very crowded conditions in high-density workers’ dormitories. Spaces are cramped. There is little personal space. Sanitation and communal kitchen are scarcely adequate. When Covid 19 strikes these residents, it spreads quickly. It does not take long before several thousands of them are infected with the virus and have fallen ill. Residents in the invisible city are fearful, anxious, and in a state of despair, as they are not permitted to leave the dormitories. They worry for their future, for their next meal, and for their dependents in their home countries.

Meantime, our city folds into homes. We stay indoors, in silos, to wait for Covid 19 to blow past. This devastatingly painful lesson and the immense personal sacrifice will go to waste if we learn nothing from this ordeal.