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LECTURE
Urban Larssen: CASA SCANTEII: FABRICA MEDIA CONTROLATA
Joi, 22 Octombrie 2009, 19.00
Forma si functia – doua concepte mereu la indemana cand judeci o
cladire din punct de vedere conceptual. Felul cum e proiectata, felul
cum e utilizata. Se mai adauga sfera publica si comportamentul uman
intr-un cadru profesional delimitat. Se adauga si puterea ideologiei
in diferite momente istorice, puterea de a impinge societatea intr-o
anumita directie, chiar prin intermediul unui proiect arhitectural,
sau cuvinte precum „control”, „ordine” si „joc”. Daca te
asezi in fata imensei cladiri a Casei Presei Libere, ridicata la
marginea centrului Bucurestiului, aceste instrumente conceptuale – si
multe altele – pot fi folosite pentru explorarea identitatii sale,
insa e putin probabil ca ele sa ofere vreo explicatie asupra
semnificatiei ei esentiale. Prea multe se petrec in interiorul
cladirii, prea multe s-au intamplat de cînd a fost construita.
„Fiecare cladire este perceputa ca o realitate concreta”, scrie
arhitectul Thomas A. Markus. Mirosurile si zgomotele, scarile care duc
intr-o parte sau alta, chipurile familiare si nefamiliare – totul
reprezinta o experienta unica. Atunci cand cineva incepe sa eticheteze
cladiri (cum e cazul cu „Casa Scanteii” sau „Casa Presei
Libere”), inlocuieste o realitate complexa. Numele, comentariile,
analizele, impreuna cu fotografiile si planurile, sunt texte ce nu
reusesc sa reproduca realitatea bogata a cladirilor si „in primul
rand experienta unica a existentei inauntrul unui spatiu, laolalta cu
alti oameni”. Astfel, insusi numele acestei cladiri masive si
greoaie, Casa Presei Libere, contine un grad de fragilitate inevitabila.
Un teritoriu atat de meticulos controlat de o singura tabara, asa cum
a fost Casa Scanteii in anii comunismului, nu putea oferi prea mult
spatiu de manifestare caracteristicilor individuale. Pe atunci
repertoriul elementelor producatoare de semnificatie din cladire era,
probabil, mai redus decat astazi, relevand o relatie mai stransa intre
forma si functiune. Post-socialismul a pus la indoiala insusi
conceptul de semnificatie, evidentiind mai ales neincrederea in unele
mari naratiuni, laolalta cu un anumit grad de dezordine creatoare si
cu alunecari de sens. S-au adaugat noi straturi.
Urban Larssen este doctorand si lector asistent in antropologie
sociala la Universitatea din Stockholm. A fost reporter pentru mai
multe ziare suedeze. In prezent lucreaza la o teza despre jurnalismul
din Romania si conexiunile cu activismul global pentru libertatea de
exprimare.
Prelegerea este parte a proiectului "Exploring the Return of
Repression", curatoriat de Razvan Ion. Expozitia poate fi vizitata
pina pe 22 noiembrie 2009, la PAVILION UNICREDIT.
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LECTURE
Urban Larssen: CASA SCANTEII: CONTROLED MEDIA FACTORY
Thursday, 22 October 2009, 19.00
Form and function, two concepts at hand when dealing conceptually with
a building. How it is designed, how it is used. Add public sphere, and
human behaviour within a delineated professional frame. Add the power
of ideology at different points of time—power to move society in a
certain direction, for instance by means of architectural design—or
words such as control, order and play. Placed in front of the very
large Casa Presei Libere building (the Free Press House) at the
outskirts of downtown Bucharest, these conceptual tools and many more
can be used in an exploration of its identity, yet hardly to produce
any account as to its essential meaning. Too much is going on inside
the building, too much has happened since it was built.
“Every building is experienced as a concrete reality,” writes
architect Thomas A. Markus. Smells and sounds, doors leading here and
there, familiar and unfamiliar faces—the entire experience is unique.
When one starts putting labels on buildings (like “The House of the
Spark” or “Free Press House”) one also substitutes for a complex
reality. Names, comments, analysis, as well as photos and plans, are
texts that fail to reproduce the rich reality of buildings, “above
all the the unique experience of being within space together with
other people”. A large and heavy building such as the Free Press
House thus contain a degree of unavoidable fragility in its sheer name.
A space so meticulously controlled by one single part as that of Casa
Scinteii during the communist era may have offered little room for
individual particularities. The repertoire of meaning-making aspects
of the building then was perhaps less wide-ranging than today,
revealing a tighter relationship between form and function. With post-
socialism entered a challenge to the very notion of meaning,
especially incredulity to certain grand narratives, alongside some
degree of creative disorder and slippages of meaning. New layers were
added.
Urban Larssen is a PhD-candidate and assistant lecturer in social
anthropology at Stockholm University, and a former reporter with
Swedish local dailies. He is currently completing a thesis on
journalism in Romania and its connections to global freedom of speech
activism.
The lecture is part of "Exploring the Return of Repression" project,
curated by Razvan Ion. The exhibition is on view until 22 November
2009, at PAVILION UNICREDIT.
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PAVILION UNICREDIT
center for contemporary art & culture
Sos. Nicolae Titulescu 1 (Piata Victoriei)
Bucharest 011131 Romania
T: + 4 031 103 4131
E: pavil...@pavilionmagazine.org
www.pavilionunicredit.ro
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PAVILION UNICREDIT este un centru pentru arta si cultura contemporana,
un spatiu independent work-in-progress, spatiu de productie si
cercetare a vizualului, a discursivului si a performativului. Este un
spatiu al gandirii critice care promoveaza o întelegere implicata
socio-politic a artei si a institutiilor culturale.
PAVILION UNICREDIT is a center for contemporary art & culture, a
work-in-progress independent space, a space for the production and
research in the fields of audiovisual, discursive and performative. It
is a space of the critical thinking, and it promotes an artistic
perspective implying the social and political involvement of the art
and of the cultural institutions.
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This is a project by PAVILION - journal for politics and culture.
www.pavilionmagazine.org
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PAVILION, BUCHAREST BIENNALE and PAVILION UNICREDIT are projects
devised and founded by Razvan Ion and Eugen Radescu
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Supported by: UniCredit Tiriac Bank
Strategic partner: Pilsner Urquell
Media partners: Radio Romania Cultural, 22, Alternativ.ro, Feeder.ro,
24Fun, Modernism.ro
Production partner: UpDate Advertising
Printing partner: First Advertising Agency
Audio-visual partner: Sony
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