Spatio-temporal Thresholds
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The thresholds of space and time, between old and new, in post-industrial reinhabitations form the basis for our research. These reclaimed post-industrial sites can not only provide a space for community interaction and cultural exchange, but serve a didactic purpose, becoming a physical timeline illustrating the past and present of a site and culture.
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Scandinavian cities and towns have been at the forefront of preserving their industrial sites in a way that transforms them into cultural centers while retaining their industrial heritage and character. Juhani Pallasmaa, a Finnish architect and theorist, has written extensively about the need to embed architecture in its cultural, physical and temporal contexts. In The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses, Pallasmaa asserts that architecture has the potential to give us a deeper understanding of our position in space and time, and thus a deeper understanding of ourselves. The potential to mark both space and time is inherent in post-industrial reuse projects, and modern interventions (whether physical or purely experiential) into the existing structures can allow the visitor to engage in a more complete experience of place through a rich multi-sensory experience. |
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Färgfabriken Liljeholmen, Stockholm |
collage: the transformation of scales and mechanisms throughout Färgfabriken’s history includes vast manufacturing equipment as well as both the scale of the hand and the human body - arterial red represents both the artists’ paints manufactured as well as the destructive intentions of the machine guns produced here. contemporary art installations now engage the space at a variety of scales. |
Stapelbäddsparken Västra Hamnen, Malmö |
collage: the memory of historical layers are compressed as the site has been transformed from ocean waves to skate ramps [the “flow course”] and its occupation from ocean-going vessels to skateboarders. |
Cisternerne Søndermarken, København |
collage: the rich multi-sensory experience within Cisternerne occurs through the suppression of the visual and the heightened haptic sensations of the textured stone and concrete, dripping with water. reflecting the sky, a pool in the park above telegraphs the history of the subterranean. |
