10/12/2019
“A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his own image.”- Joan Didion.
A friend of mine, Nikoloz Lekveishvili, of TIMM Architecture, is working on the re-qualification of an old Cinema Theatre, the Apollo, that has been an icon to the city of Tbilisi for many years.
Inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery, based on the philosophy of visibly leaving the cracks, as a trace of time, the location breaths and speaks of the place’s stratified memories.
The doors of the theatre have been opened to the public after years of being completely abandoned: It has been a great honour to be the first to hold a conference in its fascinating, evocative atmosphere.
TIMM and PCA architecture teamed up to present a common ground of social topics important for the Georgian new urban growth: social housing, re-use and re-qualification of derelict, neglected containers into artistic and social life incubators.
The lecture of PCA architecture reflected on the long working experience spent and still ongoing in Malaysia, highlighting the importance to not repeat the mistakes of a too-fast, sudden growth without adequate planning, and the importance to devote our energies for offering to the citizens a healthier and more inclusive environment. These are the principles that should drive the new urban rebirth of Georgia, a country that has a rich history but had the choice to express its voice only recently.
We want to thank TIMM Architecture and Urban Experiments, an architectural think-tank, who invited us and allowed us to intimately know the poignant beauty of a nation that is full of potential.
