# Monastery/Prison in Space by 陈欣阳 (Chen Xinyang)

Here is an absolutely brilliant project by 陈欣阳 (Chen Xinyang) for Vito Acconci's graduate studio at Pratt which was proposing to create a space station all along last semester (finals were two days ago).
Xinyang's answer is an incredible hybridization of a monastery and a prison (and by extension a graveyard) emphasizing thus the idea of remoteness of those foucauldian spaces. A monastery is nothing else than a prison of volunteers and their architectonicity are very similar.
The scenario includes a set of rules which makes the story becoming even more interesting by introducing a new logic of punishment. Prisoners can kill each others but if one of them kills a monk, a random prison cell will be sealed and become thus a grave...This logic is much more complex than a simple discipline action on the criminal's own body. It implies more interesting consequences on social behavior adopted by citizen of this micro-society since the punishment is not necessarily applied on the criminal's person.
It is not a movie but this project fits perfectly in our theme of heterotopias during the months of December and January.

Here is Xinyang's set of rules for this super special space station:

One day, 10 most dangerous criminals and 10 most devoted monks enter the space station.

They left earth forever, and live in the space station in the rest of their live. 

If a person died, cell is his or her grave.

As there is no way to escape, no guard is needed in this station.

Three rulers set to ensure monks and prisoners could stay together.
a. people have to work.

prisoners do manual labour.
Monks read prayer.

b. cooperation is necessary. 

each prisoner learned one special skill to maintain the space.
Monks knows all the skills. 

3. prisoners can't kill monks.
if one monk be killed by a prisoner, the computer would close one cell of prison as
punishment.