IN-PERSON London Heritages. Section A

Abstract

This contribution to the ‘London Heritages 2025: Critical Questions – Contemporary Practice’ Conference will explore how design-driven research methodologies can address the contested terrain of post-communist industrial heritage in Romania, a space haunted by cultural amnesia and socio-political trauma. Moving beyond traditional preservation frameworks, it aims to propose a shift from the notion of Tabula Rasa to Tabula Scripta—a conceptual lens that recognises and works with the inscribed memories and layered histories of industrial ruins. These sites, often disregarded or endangered by institutional neglect, embody more than architectural decay; they represent the erasure of community identities and collective memory. To confront this erasure, the study develops hybrid design methodologies that bridge architectural discourse with cultural and political critique. Central to this approach is the use of artistic, ethnographic, and visual research tools—most notably, phenomenographic video vignettes that combine site footage, annotated sketches, and hand drawings. This assemblage enables new forms of narrative-making and critical reflection, allowing the architectural process to function as both intervention and representation. By embedding tacit, auto-ethnographic knowledge into the design process, the research repositions architecture as a mediating tool capable of generating transformative and protective strategies for fragile heritage. Ultimately, the proposal argues for design as a mode of inquiry that can weave together divergent domains—heritage preservation, architectural transformation, and political memory—into a unified, action-oriented discourse. These methodologies aim not only to preserve structures, but to catalyse broader conversations about memory, identity, and agency within the post-communist urban landscape.