Rene Boer is one of the founders of the Failed Architecture (FA) research platform, which focuses on urban failures: how they are perceived and what they really are. Examples of such "failures" are studied not only from an architectural point of view, but also from a political, social, and economic point of view.
Boer visited Moscow to take part in the 1st international forum “Culture. A look into the future.
Archi.ru:
How did the Failed Architecture project start?
Rene Boer:
- It all started with one special building in Amsterdam, which is called Trouw (Dutch "faith" - approx. AL). It was built in the 1960s for the eponymous daily newspaper, and was abandoned in the 2000s. Then its owners asked us, a small group, to figure out what to do with it next. As a result, an art space was organized there, which became very popular. Then these same people invited us to hold open discussions on the Trouw architecture. We wondered: what does it mean to own an abandoned house in the city center? Is this a hopeless situation or is it an unfortunate twist of fate that can be corrected in the future? Round tables were formed from these questions, and workshops were formed from round tables … And so it started!
How do you position yourself? Are you public figures, architects, urbanists, critics?
- We are, of course, urbanists. There are eight people in our team, and there is only one architect among us. As for the rest, they are historians, experts in architectural heritage and cultural studies. Thus, many disciplines intersect in our circle. I want to especially note that we are not critics. Failure is a starting point, not an assessment. Do not think that we have collected everything that we do not like on our site. This is not true! We just chose a different path to explore the city. Each time we start our research, we try to understand how citizens perceive this or that object, how it changes over time and how it affects people's lives. The concept of "failed architecture" should not be interpreted literally, nuances are important here. In no way are we going to put labels on buildings. Some people see that the structure is dilapidated, turned into ruins and think that it must be destroyed. And others, looking at him, recall their youth, stories associated with him, and so on. We are trying to understand the relationship between the city and the person living in it.
You mainly study the legacy of modernism, which is often abandoned. What happens after the end of the study, when the results have already been obtained? Do you then manage to put this knowledge into practice?
- We are not designers, not an architectural bureau, and we never try to come to any specific solution to a problem. Our task is to provoke discussion. For example, in Sharjah, UAE, there was a modernist apartment building built in the 1970s. This is a very rare building type for this region. Local authorities decided to destroy it due to the lack of Arab features in it and build a traditional-style village in its place. We went to Sharjah, held a research workshop there and made an exhibition based on its results. The exhibition turned out to be very controversial and loud, which gave an excellent result. Until that moment, there was only one idea regarding the fate of this house - it was supposed to disappear. After the exhibition, people looked at the situation from a different angle and started talking about the fact that this building represents a special part of their culture and should not be demolished. They realized that it was a monument to the first wave of modernization in the Emirates, which came in the 1970s, and an integral part of their material heritage. This is how it works!
- At today's discussion within the framework of the Cultural Forum, it became clear that you are likely to cooperate with SOVMOD [a young project for the manifestation of objects of Soviet modernism, started by a group of students from Moscow Architectural Institute and continued by curator and architectural critic Elena Gonzalez, Yulia Zinkevich and the agency « Communication Rules » - approx. A. L.]. Have you already explored objects in Russia?
- We spent a long time in Estonia, where we organized another workshop. The object of our research was the Soviet cultural center in the small town of Rapla. I was very happy when Elena Gonzalez began her presentation today with a photograph of this building. But this was our only experience of working in a "post-Soviet" country. If we work together with SOVMOD, then, of course, we will explore opportunities for research in Russia.
For example, yesterday we were at the house of the People's Commissariat for Finance. It is fantastic! We flew in at night, got into a taxi and immediately rushed there. I am very glad that my first visit to Moscow began from the roof of this house. It's interesting how they work with him now. For example, in Holland, in such cases, everyone is kicked out of the building, after which it is washed, cleaned and a certain function is breathed into it. Here, everything happens quite differently. Some part of the house is rented, for example, by a design studio, another is occupied by tenants, and the third is still someone else. Due to the fact that the building comes to life piece by piece, the process looks as if it rehabilitates itself. I think it is thanks to this that the building of the People's Commissariat for Finance is still very alive.
You have collaborated with research teams in Barcelona and Jerusalem. What were these projects?
“In Barcelona, I was doing research with the Krax group, a division of Citymined. They work with small local communities. We studied areas along the coastline that were previously very disadvantaged. Today the situation has changed: there are a lot of wealthy people, tourists, and the cost of housing and its rent is growing at an insane rate. Therefore, the old-timers are forced to move out from there. Krax is committed to helping these people and supporting them in their fight against the city. Together with them, I explored this area of Barcelona, its development and prospects.
I also collaborated with ICAHD in Jerusalem, which explores spatial relationships emerging in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Using architectural and urban planning tools, ICAHD is trying to solve this problem. For example, Israel builds small settlements, which then turn into entire cities surrounding the Palestinian territory. As a result, the occupation becomes irreversible, and it will be impossible to "decolonize" Palestine. Israel violates the rights of Palestinians by destroying their homes. We, in turn, documented every house that was slated for demolition. We photographed everything that was happening, filmed a video so that people could find out what was really happening there, and how serious it was.
What are you doing now, except Failed architecture ?
- I recently started cooperation with one of the public urban associations in Germany. This collective also fights for the rights of the people in the city.
I share their goals and think that everyone has the right not only to live in the city, to dwell in it, but also to be an equal participant in the processes that make city life life. We often see how, in the course of urban development, people are deprived of any opportunity to participate in the process of shaping the environment. People are forced to live on the periphery, they may not have work, they may not have public spaces, because everything is occupied with advertising, and therefore they cannot consider such a city as theirs. I studied these issues before, I am engaged in them now and I want to continue this.
Do you think there is something in common in the architectural and urban planning issues of Holland and Russia?
- Firstly, the similarities can be seen in the fact that a building always starts from scratch, and this is a very capitalistic approach. The very fact that a city is formed by decisions of large "sponsors" and wealthy developers greatly influences the quality of the urban environment. In this case, the architect becomes only a public person who demonstratively makes a couple of sketches before starting construction, and nothing more. This is happening both in Holland and in Russia. The situation is deplorable, because there are many much more democratic ways of developing our cities. It seems to me that this is the problem that should be paid attention to.
Secondly, some parallels can be drawn in the treatment of heritage in both countries. I was so inspired by the People's Commissariat for Finance, because in Holland, buildings are simply cleaned of dust and dirt, they hang a memorial plaque and sell premises for expensive apartments or chain hotels. As I have already said, I like the way in Narkomfin how it consistently comes to life. We should have learned this from Moscow!
