In my position as an architect, I cannot determine the ultimate perception of individuals, instead I define my intervention as a catalyst and suggest possibilities of interaction between people and space. This can be seen as a way to re-appropriate the space. Using a narrative methodology that engages with the physical reality and qualities of the site enables different states of architecture to exist, pointing towards reference and reflection. However it is not about mitigating the power of violent structures or about reviving them, but about acknowledging the unique particularity and vulnerability of Checkpoint Bravo. This requires awareness of differing meanings – the perceived, conceived and lived realities of spaces – and consideration of what our ideas are contributing to . New ideas can transform the whole site.
The idea of remembrance and renewal starts with the dialogue between remnants of the past and newly added elements that trigger new discourses; knowledge exchanged against the context of a blurred memory of what was there and what it has become today. What might this place have resembled 30, even 50 years ago? Allowing spaces to be viewed and experienced through individual and collective imagination gives value to emotion and memory. Reading the site as a palimpsest consisting of various physical and symbolic layers enhances the understanding of the complex site of Checkpoint Bravo, thus allowing a balance between remembrance and renewal. O
Evelyn Osvath
on site review 38: borders, lines, breaks and breaches 25
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