In this filmproject I want to question the (in-)vulnerability of antisolidary architecture and its antisolidariy users as part of the present society.
The Neumarkt as a central place in Dresden, reconstructed on a baroque condition and brought forth pegida, also shows the relation between the political development and the architectural reconstruction as a site of identification. Therefor the place could be representative for the political and architectural reconstruction in Dresden and moreover Germany (GDR + FDR) from 1945 on.
Its 3 phases contain:
1 baroque city : : 2 destroyed : : 3 inner city vacuum
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s c r i p t
Historically the Neumarkt was planned and constructed in 1720 as a baroque residence city (phase 1). In the econd world war, February 1945 bombings destroyed (phase2 ) also the Neumarkt. There was hardly no common identification and recognition of the German guilt and offence in the war and though no acceptance, that the place had been destroyed. It’s ruins stayed for the time of the GDR and the ruined Frauenkirche became a war memorial. A witness of time called the site an inner city vacuum (phase 3). From 1989 on there was more financial capacity and political willingness to rebuilt the Neumarkt. At first the Frauenkirche reopened in 2005, and the surrounded buildings, up to 90% financed by private investors, are under reconstruction. The houses are taken up by exclusive shops, cafes, flats and hotels. From 2014 on there are weekly pegida demonstrations at the Neumarkt, this group of people start to identify with the scenery.
So what happened through its reconstruction to that place? Most of the exclusive buildings and space became inaccessible for the inhabitants of the city ((disneyland)). In the private investors meaning the place need to become even more exclusive to regenerate their investments. The baroque facades are expressing this exclusiveness as a scenery for patriotic identification and though antisolidary actions and opinions. The scenery appears as a built border depriving the place of its public diversity.
As Juliet Flower MacCannel says, the scenery masks the need for cities to adapt to the current conditions. They are becoming sterile cities which are denying a common vulnerability and avoiding the possibility of openness to history. That could mean, that places like the Neumarkt have to be built on the expense of others weakness and vulnerability and on fear as the opposite of solidarity and openess to history. It makes users of the place feel invulnerable. The architecture is discriminating.
Speculative part ((this might not necessarily come true)): At the Neumarkt the past is built as the present and future time. There simply is no independent future and present, but there is a time loop within phase 1-3 of the most recent past. That means rebuilding phase 1, includes the denied and potentially invisible phases 2+3 aswell. Initiated by political changes the 3 phases are causing a time loop. From now on there is no future for the Neumarkt, its architecture, its people and its time, expecting the next phase of the loop. For the architecture the loop means, that the borders are going to be destroyed, vacuumed and rebuilt over and over again. They are getting empowered ideological and virtual as transparent, impermeable borders and physically made out of modern materials. At some point they could probably not be destroyed or repaired again. The Neumarkts architecture turns out as a more and more exclusive place. Its architecture is enabled to create a future. For the people the loop means, that they are generally disconnected to the future but moreover loosing their connection to the present time. In its exclusiveness the Neumarkt is not accessible for most of the people anymore. While they are getting younger, the architecture is ageing. But as part of the loop, the society recreates the past again and again. Those people who can identify with phase 1 are making profit out of the loop. The pegida people who are demonstrating for political change, the past, are at the same time forcing phase 2 of the loop. But what happens when through their political change the Neumarkt is destroyed again?
After looping again and again, the question arises how to escape the loop to create a real future. ((we want a future)) At first, there could be no past, no phase 1. Second there could be no architecture, no phase 2. And at last there could be no people, no phase 3. But there might be a more common solution.
In this filmproject I want to question the (in-)vulnerability of antisolidary architecture and its antisolidariy users as part of the present society.
The Neumarkt as a central place in Dresden, reconstructed on a baroque condition and brought forth pegida, also shows the relation between the political development and the architectural reconstruction as a site of identification. Therefor the place could be representative for the political and architectural reconstruction in Dresden and moreover Germany (GDR + FDR) from 1945 on. Its 3 phases contain:
1 baroque city : : 2 destroyed : : 3 inner city vacuum
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