rem koolhaas / OMA : CRONOCAOS preservation tour

rem koolhaas
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'preservation' is a manifesto in space, understood as of simultaneous political, economic and social relevance.
in the OMA curated exhibition, visitors are exposed to phenomena and to stories, which take preservation as an instrument
of architectural thinking and invention.
OMA founder rem koolhaas guides designboom through the themes.

recognizing that the current moment has almost no idea how to negotiate the coexistence of radical change and radical stasis
that is our future, OMA's exhibit looks further into the under-explored theme, often superimposing its effects on matters
beyond the disciplinary boundaries of architecture.
'preservation' is a dense and highly relevant topic for today's cultural climate.



time magazine covers featuring architects
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the rise of the market economy has meant the end of the architect as a credible public figure.
since philip johnson in 1979, no architect has appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.
stararchitects accepted a faustian bargain where they became more prominent,
but their role less significant ...

rem koolhaas explains the dilemma
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preservation and modernity are not opposites.
preservation was 'invented' as part of a groundswell of modern innovation between the french revolution and the industrial
revolution in england. in a maelstrom of change, it is crucial to decide what will stay the same ...



authentic / restored
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'as the scale and importance of preservation escalates each year, the absence of a theory and the lack of interest invested in
this seemingly remote domain becomes dangerous. after thinkers like ruskin and viollet-le-duc, the arrogance of
the modernists made the preservationist look like a futile, irrelevant figure. postmodernism, in spite of its lip service to
the past, did no better.' says rem koolhaas



damascus, may 2010: used
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damascus used ...


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... and damascus preserved.

(?)



damascus, may 2010, preserved
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image © designboom


'architects – we who change the world – have been oblivious or hostile to the manifestations of preservation.
since 1981, in paolo portoghesi’s 'presence of the past', there has been almost no attention paid to preservation
in successive architecture biennales.' koolhaas explains.

a view into the exhibition
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a view into the exhibition
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CRONOCAOS is showing the wrenching simultaneity of preservation and destruction that is destroying any sense of a
linear evolution of time. CRONOCAOS has been shown at the architecture biennale in venice 2010.



image © designboom


with OMA, koolhaas aims to expand architectural production towards broader issues around culture, identity and organisation.
it also enables the practice to interrogate architectural production and research without waiting for commissions and without
the need to build anything. OMA's curated exhibitions are an ever expanding oeuvre and worth to take a closer look.

published in segments throughout the coming days, we will be looking at the many discourses of 'preservation' as outlined
in the exhibition. the ambiguities and contradictions that arises range from our pre-set, arbitrary opinion of preserving only
the 'exceptional', leaving behind our ideas of the norm or mediocre; different way in which other cultures have defined permanence;
the continued minimizing of lag time between new construction and its preservation; and the cultural, political and heritage
issues involved, in which the past becomes the only plan for the future.

this is PART 2 of the 'preservation' exhibition. see PART 1 - we will follow up with PART 3 and 4.