Making Room : a Practice of the Contemporary

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MAKING ROOM

A PRACTICE OF THE CONTEMPORARY

Modernity implies a temporal conflict with its previous past, a breach operated into the continuity of time, marking the abrupt passage from a time forever past to a present of novelty, the contemporary. The modern times, while actually resulting out of a complex process, are often seen as radical change, connected to events of massive impact, such as the break of WWI. In the aftermath of these powerful events, the urge to start anew pushes aside the past, in a state of suspension that makes room only for things to come, new and purged of the weight of history.

Furthermore, modernity relies on the idea of progress, stating the positive belief that the new is necessarily better than the old. Hence, the modern individual is permanently confronted to a present time when one has to prove oneself better than the day before and to adjust to the dynamics of change to the extent of anticipating it. In a lecture on contemporaneity, Giorgio Agamben is citing Nietzsche in order to define what the contemporary means: to be untimely, to distance oneself from present time, to be already further gone in the future. “Making Room : a Practice of the Contemporary� intends to reveal this obsessive pursuit of novelty, a constant throughout modern history.

In architecture, the Modern Movement marks the radical change of the architectural paradigm, striving to create the fundamentals of a new culture, opposed to the classical one, regarded as the major source of all historical inequities. Modern architecture promises a fresh start, without mistake,

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“PERLA MARII” RESTAURANT

arch. Cezar Lazarescu, Eforie Nord 1958-1959 “HERCZEG” RESIDENCE arch. Radu Mihailescu, Timisoara 1990 Radu Mihailescu reveals a fragmented composition, a personal and sensitive postmodernist approach.

SYSTEMATIZATION

OF

BUCHAREST’S CENTRAL AREA

Bucharest 1980-1989 The destructions caused by the earthquake of 1977 created the opportunity to build a new civic centre with a massive impact on the historical area, altering the general image of the city.

The modernization of the Black Sea coast granted to the architect the freedom to state his own architectural expression, escaping the official code and thus generating quality modernist buildings.

“ C AT E L U ” NEIGHBORHOOD

arch. Tiberiu Niga, Bucharest 1954-1956 Conceived as an experimental neighbourhood, the project juxtaposes various minimal housing units in order to create space sequences that remind of the traditional dwelling structures.

I. C. BRATIANU BOULEVARD Bucharest 1937

Modernity implies a temporal conflict with its previous past, a breach operated into the continuity of time, marking the abrupt passage from a time forever past to a present of novelty, the contemporary. The modern times, while actually resulting out of a complex process, are often seen as radical change, connected to events of massive impact, such as the break of WWI. In the aftermath of these powerful events, the urge to start anew pushes aside the past, in a state of suspension that makes room only for things to come, new and purged of the weight of history.

Furthermore, modernity relies on the idea of progress, stating the positive belief that the new is necessarily better than the old. Hence, the modern individual is permanently confronted to a present time when one has to prove oneself better than the day before and to adjust to the dynamics of change to the extent of anticipating it. In a lecture on contemporaneity, Giorgio Agamben is citing Nietzsche in order to define what the contemporary means: to be untimely, to distance oneself from present time, to be already further gone in the future. “Making Room : a Practice of the Contemporary” intends to reveal this obsessive pursuit of novelty, a constant

The street fronts of the boulevard previously cut (1853 – 1869) into the old fabric were designed by some of the most influential figures in modern architecture at the time (Horia Creanga, G.M. Cantacuzino, Arghir Culina, State Balosin, Duiliu Marcu, Rudolph Fraenkel).

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH arch. Hans Fackelmann, Orsova 1970-1976 During the communist regime, the Catholic church exalts the idea of structure as such, consisting of three monolithic volumes lacking in ornaments.

THE STATE CIRCUS arch. Nicolae Porumbescu, arch. Constantin Rulea, Bucharest 1960 “CONSTANTINIU” RESIDENCE arch. Henrieta Delavrancea Gibory, Balchik 1935

In a period of relative freedom, the architectural quest for a modern language, unlike more radical views, reconsiders traditional elements and structures, creating a local identity.

Henrieta Delavrancea Gibory combines modernist ideas with traditional cultural elements of Mediterranean architecture, making use of local materials and techniques.

“POLDI CHAPIER” VILLA

arch. Marcel Iancu, Bucharest 1929 Marcel Iancu was the initiator of the architectural and artistic avantgardes in Romania, establishing a connection with the principles of Modern Movement through his practice and theoretical work.

CEMETERY CHAPEL arch.Florian Stanciu, arch.

Iulia Stanciu, Chiajna 1998 Florian Stanciu operates a modern interpretation of the conservative Orthodox space, considering it as an essential enclosure that receives light from above.

PLAN AMENAJARE SCARA 1/50

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SECTIUNE A-A’ SCARA 1/50

SECTIUNE B-B’ SCARA 1/50

Ficitaepe con cus quodicipic tempore possint ipsam resti delibusamus ex eicae laudant iaerit, test quiam es sequibusam nonsedipsam veribus dis dolectusam aut vellupiet lit eium facesequam sa andae cus dis quam, voluptam, sus, sam im esentium ellabore eum utem quates cumquid ut erfersperum aut est, solorrumque plit doluptatin cuptati testibus cusciant del magnatatibus eario testiae poriandit ditat ilibusandam que sunt de nullandit et abor suntus, que nobis moles doluptae molorep rectatus.

Obis estrumenis assum etur si dollab illorpo restius simus

Ficitaepe con cus quodicipic tempore possint ipsam resti delibusamus ex eicae laudant iaerit, test quiam es sequibusam nonsedipsam veribus dis dolectusam aut vellupiet lit eium facesequam sa andae cus dis quam, voluptam, sus, sam im esentium ellabore eum utem quates cumquid ut erfersperum aut est, solorrumque plit doluptatin cuptati testibus cusciant del magnatatibus eario testiae poriandit ditat ilibusandam que sunt de nullandit et abor suntus, que nobis moles doluptae molorep rectatus.

Obis estrumenis assum etur si dollab illorpo restius simus

Ficitaepe con cus quodicipic tempore possint ipsam resti delibusamus ex eicae laudant iaerit, test quiam es sequibusam nonsedipsam veribus dis dolectusam aut vellupiet lit eium facesequam sa andae cus dis quam, voluptam, sus, sam im esentium ellabore eum utem quates cumquid ut erfersperum aut est, solorrumque plit doluptatin cuptati testibus cusciant del magnatatibus eario testiae poriandit ditat ilibusandam que sunt de nullandit et abor suntus, que nobis moles doluptae molorep rectatus.

Obis estrumenis assum etur si dollab illorpo restius simus