Unlike many other exhibitions at the current Biennale, the creators of Cronocaos did not pursue visual effects and design delights, but, on the contrary, tried to produce the effect of abandonment and abandonment, thereby creating a special atmosphere for the perception of the material.
The exhibition, housed in the former Italian pavilion (now the Palazzo delle Esposizioni) in Giardini, occupied two halls. The first one contains an installation of various artifacts - photographs of places and buildings, files with projects and texts, as well as furniture: tables and chairs of the fascist period from the Munich Haus der Kunst (more about it will be discussed below) and a huge pillow from the "house in Bordeaux", built by Koolhaas in 1998, has already (!) received the status of a monument from the local authorities.
The second hall is entirely devoted to the research part. Rows of posters suspended from the ceiling divided the space into five "naves" dedicated to different themes: current trends in heritage conservation, side effects of heritage conservation and its "black holes" - ignored periods and sites. Among the latter, a special place was taken by the legacy of modernism of the mid-20th century, first of all, the massive development, which is now being demolished throughout Europe, including Russia. Despite the claims of the initiators of the demolition that these residential areas have become criminal zones, they are too expensive to reconstruct, they are not convenient and disliked by residents, the creators of the exhibition argue that the reason for the hatred of the architecture of the 1960s-1980s lies in deep envy of the old belief in social experiments. And if now, with the weakening of the public sector and the flourishing of capitalism, architects are experimenting solely for the sake of promoting themselves in the market, then before they did it for the good of people.
Also, using the example of our own projects, two opposite approaches to conservation are presented: to change practically nothing, except for the strategy of use, as in projects for the reconstruction of the airport in Zurich or the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, or - using the example of the project for the Parisian district of La Defense - to use the opportunities that demolition opens … In this section, the authors call on Valli the robot to cleanse the planet of Insignificant Universal Junk, free cities from the captivity of insoluble problems and open up space for new construction, and, as an addition to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, offer their own document - Convention Concerning The Demolition Of World Cultural Junk.
Finally, on the wall opposite to the entrance, there were booklets made in the manner of a tear-off calendar with the stories of various OMA projects related to "conservation", among which one could find a competition project for the reconstruction of the Dutch parliament in 1978, and recent St. Petersburg projects for the Hermitage and Apraksin Dvor. as well as a very recent proposal for the reconstruction of the historic complex of Fondaco dei Tedeschi ("German Court") in Venice.
Back in Rotterdam after a trip to the Biennale, I spoke with one of the OMA architects, Cronocaos project manager and Fondaco Ippolito Pestellini and asked him to answer my questions.
Timur Shabaev: The exhibition raises many questions related to conservation, but does not provide answers to them. What is the purpose of this exhibition and why is it called Cronocaos?
Ippolito Pestellini: Our exhibition did not set itself the goal of providing answers, it rather shows all the uncertainty of the topic of heritage protection today, sheds light on its various aspects. Through our own projects, we show how conservation problems can be solved in different contexts, but we do not have a clear set of rules for how to work with historical heritage.
The title of the exhibition conveys the confusion that lies at the heart of the conservation system today, that confusion about the past that now exists in the minds. One of the goals of the exhibition is to show the “chronochaotic” effect of heritage preservation. And here I want to give as an example one of the exhibits, a poster with a photograph of a new street in an American city, which nevertheless looks as if it was built one hundred and fifty years ago. Since there is a monument on it, the norms ordered the architects of new buildings to make facades in historical styles. The result is a blurring of the border between the new and the old, and the historical monument loses its real meaning. Of course, this is just one example, and "chronochaos" can manifest itself in completely different ways, but all these manifestations can be described as the relationship between "nostalgia" and "memory" - the growth of the former leads to the decrease of the latter. This conflict is at the heart of Rem Koolhaas' entire theory of heritage preservation.
The exposition in the first hall of the exhibition just gives examples of such oblivion of "memory", a selective approach to the past, when objectionable memories that do not fit into the "nostalgic" image are simply erased, such as the interiors of the Haus der Kunst in Munich. The history of this building is an attempt to erase memory, psychological resistance to the past. After World War II, all the furniture from this Nazi museum was thrown away, the interiors were painted white, and the building itself was planted with trees, so that it almost ceased to be visible. A kind of virtual demolition.
TSh: How do you think the conflict between modernization and preservation is resolved in the bureau's projects? How would you describe OMA's approach to heritage conservation?
IP: In all OMA projects, the issue of authenticity is of particular importance. Our projects, however radical and modern, are embedded in the historical context. But they do this not imitating the context, but leaving their own mark as part of its historical layers. They create a new moment in history - this is the exact opposite of "chronochaos". But I would not say that there is any specific recipe for the preservation of monuments, a unified discourse on this matter. Each OMA heritage project reacts differently to existing conditions and provides different responses. Thus, in the project for the Hermitage, modernization was achieved only with the help of new curatorial strategies, without any reconstruction of the building, and in the reconstruction project of Fondaco, the building is undergoing a rather strong transformation.
Another approach to conservation and transformation, but only at the city level, is the heritage protection strategy for Beijing. Rem was fascinated by the typology of traditional Beijing hutong houses, which with minimal means create the urban fabric and generate a very specific and powerful culture. As a result, OMA proposed a planning scheme in the form of an abstract grid of points, at which modernization would be allowed at 100%, and between them the existing traditional typology was preserved - poor, but viable, capable of changing and adapting to new conditions. And this, it seems to me, is an interesting approach to the sustainable development of the city, allowing it to reproduce itself from the inside, as it were, without expanding and adding new "iconic" buildings in places that are already saturated.
Another issue raised by the exhibition is legislation, which often leaves no room for modernization in any form. As in the example of the Libyan city of Ghadames, from which life completely departed after it was declared a UNESCO heritage site, and in the case of the Venetian palazzo, many of which are empty, since the law prohibits adapting them to modern functions, we are dealing with the negative consequences of introducing the norms of heritage preservation. We believe that protection legislation needs to be changed so that it leaves room for a certain degree of interference. But this requires courage and a high level of responsibility on the part of decision-makers. So, for example, around the Fondaco reconstruction project, discussions are underway with the participation of many politicians, and we are trying to convince them of the correctness of our decisions.
TSh: So what will be preserved and what will be added in the Fondaco building?
IP: Like the project for Beijing, Fondaco is about preserving change. The entire history of the building is a series of various transformations. Since 1228, it has experienced a fire twice, it was rebuilt several times in accordance with the needs of its time. So now we are adapting it to the new function of the department store: we are changing the roof and creating a public terrace there - a unique space for Venice, a kind of square overlooking the Grand Canal; we are also adding escalators that will transport people from the courtyard to the roof of the building; and finally, we propose a demolition strategy - we free the building from the least valuable partitions, dating mainly from the 1930s, creating areas for trade. At the same time, the most valuable and preserved premises of the building - the corner halls - will remain absolutely untouched. We also propose to fill the department store with graphics - a modern interpretation of the old tradition of frescoes, a memory of the time when the building was completely covered with painting.
TSh: Fondaco will be the first department store in Venice and perhaps the first secular interior public space of this size in the city. Do you think that the project opens a new page in Venetian history? What impact will it have on the city?
IP: Of course, like any other city in Italy, Venice is a city of churches. But it is also a city of commerce. In the 15th century, Fondaco was a marketplace, and now, in the 21st century, the department store is reviving this tradition. And I say this not to justify our actions, but to show that we do not bring a function that is alien to it into the building.
Modern Venice is, first of all, a center of attraction for tourists. So, in my opinion, politicians should make a list of key projects that could work both for the benefit of city residents and tourists. Fondaco can be just such a project: combining a commercial component with public space, the building will work for both citizens and guests of Venice.
I believe that our plan can serve as an example of the different ways to develop heritage conservation projects, as well as an example of the political courage and responsibility that must be taken in order to work in historical buildings. Of course, no one claims that the Ca d'Oro or Palazzo Ducale should be rebuilt, but I am sure that buildings like Fondaco could very well be transformed.
And, if in the 1990s the architects of the OMA declared that Europe would be changed through modernization, now we say that it will be modernized through the preservation of heritage.
Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli has been the Chief Project Architect at OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) and its AMO Research Department since 2007. He has participated in a wide range of projects including Aramco Cultural Center in Saudi Arabia, Ryad al Fasialiah II Towers in UAE, G * Star headquarters, Taipei performing Arts Center, De Rotterdam complex, Mercati Generali renovation in Rome and Euromilano / Bovisa in Milan …
In addition, Ippolito has led various creative initiatives for Prada: he designed the Prada and Miu Miu shows, their video documentation, the strategic concept of Prada's presentation on the Internet, special events and exhibitions, various publications.
Since November 2009, Ippolito has been leading a conservation project and strategic program research for the Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice.
Prior to OMA * AMO, Ippolito worked with Studio and Partners (Milan) and Rosa Studio (Milan). He received his architectural education at the Polytechnic University of Milan and the Technical University in Delft.
