Breaking into Silence
Thesis sited in Skive, Denmark
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, Cornell University
Supervised by Prof Andrea Simitch + Prof Mary N Woods
Our cities are filled with spaces with pre-determined uses and occupants. In a society like Denmark, a welfare state where the national identity is strong, fringe identities present a stark contrast and are often regarded as threats. Spaces occupied by such communities are therefore limited and contested.This project looks at damaged spaces as an unique opportunity for the spatial assertion of fringe identities into the community. At the material level, damaged spaces represent a financial liability for years before demolition, and a huge generator of waste during it. The vast amounts of recyclable/reusable materials are not salvaged due to cost of labor and time it would entail.
This project proposes a gradual disintegration of a ruined slaughterhouse in Skive by 3 fringe identities within the town (identified by anthropologist Richard Jenkins) from the time of its ruin 2008. The disintegration not only yields value and sustainability in the reclaimed materials but also temporary spaces for each group’s rituals and activities: a win-win situation where an empty urban blight may come to serve as a vibrant evolving public space for the community.
