Renata Mockutė
The Aesthetics of abandoned Architecture: creative strategies and artistic interpretations.
Imagine a gigantic ship sinking slowly, silently, and descending in slow motion into the deep waters of oblivion. As the ship sinks, a flare is fired, hoping to signal danger and attract attention. Paradoxically, the strength and clarity of the flare can determine salvation.
It seems that in modern society, historic architecture is often sinking into the waters of oblivion, because the number of those who have the potential to fire a flare and attract attention is decreasing. In cases of success, historic architectural heritage is often saved by measures that disregard contextuality, authenticity, materiality, sustainability, and accuracy of proportions.
The loss of historic architecture is not only the loss of physical buildings, but also the loss of national identity, cultural heritage, and social interaction. This problem was relevant already in the 19th century and remains relevant today. Historic buildings often find themselves on the margins of relevance, and prevailing cultural heritage strategies do not allow them to fully exploit their potential, limiting their contribution to cultural heritage, urban development and social dialogue.
The research analyses the paradoxes of replacing authentic elements of state-protected historic apartment blocks with cheaper and faster alternatives, often removing the historic attributes of the buildings. The lack of a restoration culture is changing the architectural aesthetics of residential buildings, accelerating the decay process and changing the role of these buildings in society.
In creating artistic interpretations, a fundamental dilemma arises: how can we strengthen society's relationship with historic architecture? What kind of a signaling flares can be fired in Lithuania, by updating endangered historical buildings? How to empower a culture of care?
The dissertation aims to find the most effective creative strategies and artistic interpretations to help revitalize the decaying aesthetics of historic apartment buildings. The goal is to develop a methodology that allows the integration of abandoned historic architecture into the contemporary context and to propose an artistic-creative strategy that encourages public engagement.
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Illustration: Elimination of historical elements of the facade Vilnius Old Town 2025.
