Disassembly
As the city of Vilnius grows, what stood before is lost – erased to allow for new development, for the imposing towers of the new Central Business District, for the future. Inevitably with such rapid development, as the new armature of the city is formed on the north side of the River Neris, fields of urban subtraction can be seen to facilitate this new piece of city-wide infrastructure. In Snipiskes, the juxtaposition of the glass commercial skyscrapers and the vernacular wooden district immediately adjacent, shows the modern cultures of development by destruction of what stood before and preservation of urban areas by political neglect.
“Subtraction generally signals loss while accumulation or accretion generally signals growth. And where building is the only proper, sanctioned event, there is no platform in place for constructively handling the deletions that reasonably or unreasonably accompany building.” Keller Easterling
In her book Subtraction, Keller Easterling explores the concept of subtraction. The idea that subtraction does not necessarily relate to destruction or disposal, but can be seen as a way of managing a ‘subtraction ecology’. Building materials dismantled and no longer needed for their primary purpose can therefore become a commodity within a subtraction economy.
Rubbish Theory
Many have explored the possibilities and dynamic characteristics of recycled materials. Michael Thompson labels it ‘Rubbish Theory’. He argues that throughout their lives, objects or materials move in and out of a state of commodity, which is effected by the age, condition and environment of the object. He questions the idea of ‘commodity potential’, not asking what something is worth, but instead asking what potential an object has to be of value.
“‘In an ideal world… an object would reach zero value and zero expected life-span at the same instant, and then… disappear into dust. But, in reality, it usually does not do this; it just continues to exist in a timeless and valueless limbo, where, at some later date (if it has not by that time turned, or been made, into dust) it has the chance of being discovered.” Michael Thompson
One Man’s Junk, Another’s Treasure
The theme of material life-cycles is one which I will develop further throughout this studio project. Throughout Snipiskes there is clear evidence of material re-use and re-purposing to aid everyday processes. As houses or areas of the district are restored, the leftover material can be seen as a commodity. Instead of being disposed of, how will this be re-used? What gives an object value? And what does it mean for an object to have value? Who decides whether something is worth keeping or replacing?
References
Easterling, K., 2014. Subtraction – Critical Spatial Practice 4. 1st ed. Berlin: Sternberg Press.
Thompson, M., 1979. Rubbish Theory – The creation and destruction of value. 1st ed. University of Michigan: Oxford University Press.
Infrastructures of Autonomy 