TINDER Urbanisms:
Swipe the city

This is a project that delves into the intricate workings of contemporary society through multiple lenses. In this context, the theme of eroticism and its empowerment in contemporary cities is addressed, exploring how desire and the body are subverted by mechanisms of meaning and value reproduction. 

From the dichotomy between the consumer society and symbolic and material values to the constant reproduction of eroticized images in advertising, a global culture of consumption is revealed that transforms the experience of the body into a spectacle of itself.

Through the lens of technology and digital communication, we unravel how digital platforms like MSN Messenger, Chatroulette, Grindr, and Tinder have been reconfiguring erotic and affective relationships in the contemporary city. From the virtualization of love to the emergence of geolocation on mobile devices, we examine how these tools are transforming urban landscapes and redefining concepts of intimacy and proximity.

The project also highlights the importance of surveillance and control spaces in the digital age, especially in contexts where sexual relationships are subject to restrictive laws. From geolocation triangulation in Grindr to user detentions in countries with laws against the LGBTQ+ community, the impact of technology on urban life and individual freedoms is underscored.

TINDER URBANISMS invites us to rethink the city through the prism of digital urbanism, exploring how dating apps are generating new urban landscapes and sexual cartographies. From heat maps revealing sexual meeting places to the overlay of the app with the material reality of the city, a new way of experiencing and inhabiting urban space through technology and digital connection is proposed.

LUGADERO TEAM
JAVIER MARTÍNEZ
MARTA MORERA

Collaborators
ELISA MONGE
ANTONIO FIGUEROA
TAMARA FERNÁNDEZ
BEATRIZ PAVÓN

 

Project launched in the context of “Architecture Seeks Sex,” an Erotic-Divulgative event on architecture and sexuality held in Seville in October 2019.
Organized by Carlos Peraita and curated by Antonio Bonilla.

LONDON 
+44 7530 425037
london@lugadero.com

SEVILLA
+34 676 78 38 63
sevilla@lugadero.com