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May 23, 2011
From the prison laundry driers of London to the Tunnels of Cu Chi
A fascinating history from BLDGBLOG: Underground
"Every wall has a foundation," Wiggins writes, "and, if that foundation is removed by undermining or 'sapping,' the wall itself will sink, split, shatter or collapse, depending on how the work is carried out. Digging was an alternative way of opening up the defenses of a fortified site to make possible a frontal assault, and this method did not rely on an array of large and expensive wall-breaking artillery." The "undermining of walls" by so-called "underwallers" was thus a military tactic. An anti-architecture. Excavation as weapon.... Going underground means entering a space of unexpected affiliation: a crosswise architecture of circuits and countertopology.
Posted by Vanderleun at May 23, 2011 5:21 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
Crawling in those tunnels took nerve, gomer wasn't the only thing living down there.
Posted by: Peccable at May 23, 2011 6:19 AM
A good recent film about the sappers in WWI: "Beneath Hill 60". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1418646/
Posted by: Brett_McS at May 24, 2011 5:59 AM