Open monument

More about the book

This volume explores the fate of historic or fictive monuments that have vanished due to shifting ideological or political systems, examining the residual information embedded in the remnants of these structures. It investigates how this lost information transforms during paradigm shifts in societal thought. The collection includes theoretical texts, guest essays, artistic visual contributions, reference materials, and interviews that illuminate how political remnants, commemoration processes, and cultural appropriation shape a vibrant memorial culture filled with cross-references, influencing architectural outcomes. Many contributions analyze instances where cities expel information from their fabric, the voids left behind, and the imprints and changes time has wrought on built forms. Architecture is portrayed as a repository of selected information, often confined until it nearly disappears, while recent industrial heritage is reinterpreted as a futuristic recreation of the past that distorts reality. The authors engage critically with the modernist architectural legacy, advocating for a permeable, non-symbolic monument that encourages dynamic historicization. Featured artists include Carlos Bunga, Delio Jasse, Hironari Kubota, Matias Machado, David Maranha, Luca Pozzi, Cristian Rusu, Sancho Silva, Yukihiro Taguchi, Nuno Sousa Vieira, and Sinta Werner.