EN
Urban Fossils : The Cement of a Manufactured Heritage
GU
26.09.2024 - 29.09.2024
More than a century ago, Walter Benjamin, in his reflections on urbanism, emphasized that the modern city is a dynamic space of continuous transformation, where remnants of the past are constantly replaced by new typological imprints. Today, the dynamics of gentrification amplify these changes, leaving behind large-scale manufactured patterns. These typological markers are easily recognizable and juxtaposed with one another like samples or temporal imprints that define the visual identity of our time. These markers become historical witnesses of a manufactured time, taking the form of archaeological replicas. But what would remain of these replicas if today’s cities were abandoned of all human occupation? What imprints would survive from our time, and how would they be understood and studied at the dawn of a new beginning?
Urban Fossils : The Cement of a Manufactured Heritage proposes to imagine the remnants of the city of tomorrow based on contemporary imprints and patterns left in the fabric of modern architecture. This typological research project serves as a reflection on the relationship between archival imagery and its connection to urban archaeology, exploring how construction elements coexist within constantly changing modern landscapes. Facades, joints, paving stones, and construction materials become imprints of sculptural investigation, allowing for the study of urban traces of the present. They also enable us to imagine the resurgent forms of our time based on imagined fossils and a fictional photographic archive.
Urban Fossils is situated within the broader context of the Anthropocene, where human activities leave significant marks on our planet. By exposing the traces left by construction efforts in ever-changing cities, the project invites reflection on our role as actors in the evolution of our urban environment. These intentionally fossilized remnants become crucial markers, highlighting our responsibility for the traces we leave on the canvas of our urban existence.
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This project was first exhibited as part of Comment voisiner ?, a program conceived by GU Multidisciplinary Laboratory, in Montreal.
Curatorial team :
Joséphine Rivard, Chloé Luchs, and Suzel D. Smith.