IN-PERSON: Prague – Section A

Abstract

Since the early preservationists formed the basis of modern restoration in the 18th century the field has been occupied with prolonging, upholding, and restoring, in theory as well as in practice. In contrast to classic restoration, this paper reports on a series of alternative preservation-prototypes developed and tested as radical preservation of abandoned buildings, undertaken at full scale, through a subtractive architectural practice. This radical preservation practice was initiated in Denmark, aiming at temporary strategies for the challenged and unrecognized rural built environment with emphasis on engagement with the local village communities. The intention was to re-activate obsolete buildings as material anchorage point of intrinsic immaterial values. Furthermore, the idea was to contribute to the rebuilding of the local identity. One of these prototypes, “Theatre installation”, was entirely aiming at setting an example of immaterial preservation of a building’s intrinsic qualities.
“Theatre installation” was based on the transformation of an abandoned confectionary into a peephole box, and through real-time streaming mirroring the on-site event to an imaginary reconstruction of the confectionary in a black-box theatre in the regional capital. Thus, the transformed building conducted a mediator between the rural village and the city. “Theatre installation” reinstated the abandoned confectionary as a gathering point of the surrounding community and hence, constituted a catalyst of exchange of memories of place among the local residents. In other words, the building, its history, and its bearing on the local identity were sought preserved immaterially as a strengthened collective memory specific to the surrounding community.