I Am in Eskew: Soundscape, Cityscape and Mindscape of Hostile Architecture

Abstract

Am in Eskew is the epitome of an independent podcast, written, produced and performed by two people – Jon Ware and Muna Hussen. It tells the story of David Ward (Jon Ware), a man trapped in the city of Eskew, where nightmares become real. The story offers manifold answers and interpretations, depending which genre and mode of reception we choose to follow. On a literal level it is a fantasy horror story about a cursed city that tortures its entrapped residents by creating cityscapes full of monsters, spatial and body horror (Eskew as a landscape); on a metaphorical level I Am in Eskew is a representation of mental illness and mental disorders (Eskew as a mindscape). The present article discusses the use of medium in I Am in Eskew and the capabilities of podcasts in creating an immersive horror story (Eskew as a soundscape) as well as possible interpretations of the podcast, focusing on the concept of hostile architecture as an expression of the late capitalist inclination to dehumanize various aspects of human life (space, relationships etc.). The article discusses hostile architecture as a form of narration and narration as a form of hostile architecture through the lense of Derridian hauntology.