Description

Liquid Urbanisms
In “Liquid” fundamentals we considered as main characteristic, their dynamic response to exterior factors. These destabilizing elements, present themselves as changing factors of a homogeneous environment containing a specific physical constitution of liquidity. It also exists the temporal response factor of the “Liquid” element. As in urban environments the temporal factor of reorganisation is a constant dynamic element to input in urban design.

Subsequently, let us consider the term “temporal”. This term should perhaps be substituted by the term “ephemeral” which has a distinctly different signification from the temporary. The ephemeral may be taken as describing the duration of an event, or of a use rather than the usual signification of temporary to indicate simply a short duration.

The ephemeral may be taken to underline a certain present defined not in chronological time, but describing the duration of a relationship. The second aspect of the term ephemeral, is that the subject will be moved from one side to another where its presence should also contain within it traces of the site where it had been before. It becomes in this way a vehicle for the registration of the history of its movements in the city rather than a fixed installation defined by one and only one site.

At this point “Liquid Environments” is a continuous question of identity. The town or city uniqueness became again a political question rather than a sentimental one. Reformulating the city poses the constant question of its identity as an immediate matter. The answers could not be given through the abstract “branding” rubrics of architecture or urbanism. The intention which supports this research is to find a possible way of opening this question from the architectural up to urban inventions.

For more information visit the Rotterdam Biennale website here