there is a city preoccupied with the relationship between the measure of its space and the events of its past.
intent on continuously rebuilding itself
sometimes different cities follow one another on the same site and under the same name, born and dying without knowing one another, without communication among themselves…
aroused residents demanded infrastructure be installed so they could watch
eager men come each day to replace the ads
new schemes constantly appear from behind site hoarding
here, children have painted their vision of the city
locals post messages of zeal in anticipation
others, impatient, start to speculate.
even infrastructure is not immune.
an atmosphere looms
preserved vacancies
are these remainders or beginnings?
the city does not tell its past but contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the corners, scratches, indentations.
a catalog of apparitions, outlines, figments, ghosts.
erasures, blemishes, scars
traces of former existences
forgetful leftovers
missing letters and disappeared signatures
biding their time
Sources:
Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities, Cities & Memory 3,5
John Hejduk, Thoughts of an Architect
Werner Herzog, Lessons of Darkness
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