A Reading on the Intervention of the Grotesque Body in Urban Space: Box Man

Abstract

This study explores the spatial production of the grotesque body in urban space, questioning its temporary, provocative and unusual being. It analyzes how it intervenes in space by challenging everyday routines and social forms, making other ways of life visible, triggering change and opening space for creative formations. It constructs interpretative research by evaluating the potential for spatial experimentation offered by the presence and creative agency of the grotesque body in urban space. It offers a new perspective to the existing literature by emphasizing that the grotesque body should be considered as an experimental spatial production tool.
Considering the psychological, social, and cultural expansions and the imaginative power of a literary narrative for reconsidering space, the novel “The Box Man” is used as a case study to explore the interventions of the grotesque body in urban space. Through the analysis of the literary narrative, the research constructs an open conceptual framework in which the interventions of a grotesque body are analyzed regarding its characteristics and the spatial experimentation it carries out, supported by excerpts from the novel. The framework aids in understanding, discussing, and reimagining the grotesque body as an experimental spatial production tool. Ultimately, this study lays the groundwork for further research into the role of the grotesque body in the production of urban space, revealing its potential to challenge conventional spatial production practices and to inspire creative, unique ways of reproducing urban space.