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May 29, 2011

On Preservation | Mbi Ruajtjen e Objekteve

The New York Times critic, Nicoloi Ouroussoff, has written an interesting article about "Cronocaos" Exhibition as a manifesto, projecting viable observations and provoking ideas on preservation. The questions he asks are important in understanding what a city is (or has become) today.
"Has preservation become a dangerous epidemic? Is it destroying our cities?"
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"Cronocaos" was first shown at the 2010 Architecture Biennale in Venice. It is now on view at the New Museum in New York City. Organized by Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu, it portrays what can happen to an aged city when it is repackaged for tourists and wealthy homeowners. It has become a product of deals made by governments and builders, leading to a displacement of cultural and social scenes, in favor of commercial and boutique storefronts.
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All over the world, even the smallest renovations of aged historic buildings are advertised as ways of preserving them. Their facades are being cleaned up and interiors stripped of any history. They have lost their character and meaning, but are more appealing and visually fitting, because they are "old." It is ironic that the outcome of this kind of preservation is literally 'timeless." By blending what is real and what is fake, the city has lost the sense of what it is supposed to be: a collection of buildings, people, and life, accumulated over time. Neighborhoods are in risk of becoming non-places like airports or malls.
Everywhere, urban diversity and historical layers are being replaced by universal, consumer driven, money making aesthetics. According to Koolhaas, this so-called preservation is not favoring the great, the ancient, or that which might deserve it. It has become a selection vulnerable to political motivation and correctness. It is done for the wrong reasons while triggering more development and speculated land values. He argues that the result is a a new form of historical amnesia, one that, perversely, only further alienates us from the past.” Is he right?
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The idea of preservation as any other can be looked at and interpreted in many ways. It can be important in order to build up the historical, cultural, and environmental heritage. It also can help future generations understand their foundations. But, (as mentioned above) it can be misdirected, misused, and be politically driven, which would destroy its purpose altogether, because it will lose sight of what is worth preserving. It would be interesting to see (and predict) what will be preserved from this present time. We live in a material age driven by technology where fast can be the only way. New technological deiscoveries and designs that are supposed to give us the most out of life on this planet while enhancing its quality, seems to only have made us so dependent on it that we have lost all sense of context. The 6 month rule is now the golden rule. Just like our gadgets, everything depreciates in value after this 6 month cycle, (even our quality of life).
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I'd like to see how it'll play out of course, but i'd like to ask a few questions also. What differences from the past to the present are and will be worth preserving in the future?  Is this fast-forward mode, making our context blurry and the content of our lives ephemeral? And how do we preserve that?
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To read the entire article visit NYT
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Kritiku i New York Times, Nicoloi Ouroussoff, ka shkruar nje artikull interesant per ekspoziten “Cronocaos” si nje manifest me observime praktike dhe ide provokuese mbi ruajtjen e objekteve. Pyetja qe ai ben eshte e rendesishme per te kuptuar ­ se si duhet te jete qyteti, dhe cfare forme ka marre ai sot. “A rrezikon te behet, menyra aktuale e ruajtjes se objekteve, nje epidemi qe mund te shkaterroje qytetet tona?"
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"Cronocaos" eshte shfaqur per here te pare ne Bienalen e Arkitektures 2010 ne Venecia. Tani eshte hapur tek New Museum, ne New York City. Organizuar nga Rem Koolhaas dhe Shohei Shigematsu, ekspozita tregon se cfare mund t’i ndodhe nje qyteti te vjeter kur ripaketohet per turistet dhe biznesmenet. Eshte kthyer ne nje produkt marrveshjesh midis qeverise dhe firmave te ndertimit, duke shperngulur vendet kulturore dhe ato shoqerore, ne favor te vitrinave komerciale dhe estetike.
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Ne te gjithe boten, edhe rinovimet me te vogla te ndertesave te vjetra historike po konsiderohen si menyra konservimi ose ruajtjeje. Eshte ironike qe edhe pse fasadat e tyre po pastrohen dhe interiori po zhvishet nga cdo gje e shkuar, ato vazhdojne te quhen “historike.” Kjo lloj ruajtje ka fshire karakterin dhe kuptimin e tyre te dikurshem duke i shnderruar ne objekte “te pakohshme.” Duke perzier ate qe eshte e vertete dhe fallco, qyteti po humbet ate cka duhet te jete: nje koleksion ndertesash, njerezish dhe jetese, te akumuluar prej nje kohe te gjate. Lagjet jane ne rrezik te shnderrohen ne vende arbitrare, si aeroportet dhe qendrat tregtare.
Kudo, diversiteti urban dhe shtresat historike po zevendesohen me stile te shplara universale qe sjellin vetem fitim monetar. Sipas Koolhaas, nje ruajtje e tille nuk favorizon objektet madheshtore, antike , apo ato qe mund ta meritojne, por eshte nje vendim me synime dhe motive politike. Seleksionimi behet per arsye te gabuara, duke shkaktuar me shume zhvillime dhe spekulime te vlerave te tokes perreth. Ai argumenton se ky qendrim eshte “nje forme e re amnezie historike, qe na largeson akoma me shume nga e kaluara.A ka te drejte?
Ideja e ruajtjes se objekteve si cdo tjeter duhet pare dhe interpretuar ne menyra te ndryshme. Eshte vendimtare ne zgjerimin e trashegimise historike, kulturore, dhe asaj mjedisore. Gjithashtu, ndihmon brezat e rinj te kuptojne prejardhjen e tyre. Por, (sic eshte permendur me lart) vendimi per objektet ne ruajtje mund te keqdrejtohet, keqperdoret, dhe te shtyhet nga politika; gje qe mund te shuaj komplet idene dhe qellimin e konservimit. Nuk do kete me dallim midis objekteve qe ia vlejne te ruhen ose jo. Do jete interesante te shohim (ose te parashikojme) se cfare do te mbahet nga kjo kohe. Jetojme ne nje epoke materialiste, ku cdo gje eshte e shpejte. Zbulimet e reja teknologjike qe duhet te na ofrojne maksimumin e cilesise se jeteses ne kete planet, na kane bere te varemi nga kjo teknologji aq shume sa nuk e kemi me idene e kontekstit. Rregulli gjashtemujor tani eshte rregulli i arte. Ashtu si pajisjet tona elektronike, cdo gje bie nga vlera pas gjashte muajsh, (madje dhe cilesia e jeteses).
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Prandaj pyes: Cfare ndryshimesh nga e shkuara deri me sot ia vlejne (dhe do t’ia vlejne) per t’u ruajtuar ne te ardhmen? Kjo menyre kaq e shpejte jetese, a po ben cdo gje rreth nesh te turbullt dhe vete udhetimin kalimtar? Si mund  (ose duhet) ta ruajme kte experience?

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Per te lexuar te gjithe artikullin klikoni NYT.

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