Machines, Spide s and Buccanee s
WALKING AROUND THE SUN. No es on Eu ope. The Dogma ic Sleep.
140
Two ex emes a
he Eu opean Pe iphe ies:
Bal ic and Ibe ian
pos -indus ial cul u es
Inês Mo ei a
Ins i u o de His ó ia da A e da NOVA-FCSH
Ins i u e o A His o y o NOVA/FCSH, Lisbon, Po ugal
`Two ex emes a he Eu opean pe iphe ies: Bal ic and Ibe ian pos -indus ial cul u es´
depa s om a p ecise i le and essays g asping dis an and, o a ce ain ex en , un-
ela ed con empo a y cul u al condi ions o wo ex emely di e se egions in he pe-
iphe y o Eu ope, one acing he Bal ic sea and he o me USSR, he o he acing he
A lan ic and i s o me empi es. Unde going dissimila his o ical and poli ical p ocess-
es, he Bal ic egion and he Ibe ian Peninsula ela e o ecen XX h and XXIs Cen u y
his o y di e en ly: he esigni ica ion o pas e en s, si es and s o ies can be ex eme,
whe he celeb a ed o emembe ed, o he imes ac i ely sup essed and e aced. The
spa ial s a egies owa ds he (indus ial) pas and he new unbound con empo a y
cul u al p ac ices a e di e se and may no be ep esen ed in a single o e a ching
map. This w i en essay aims o b ing o h examples o esigni ica ion o he pas and
memo y h ough new con empo a y and spa ial cul u es by posing a se o ques ions:
which pas s a e celeb a ed and e aced h ough spa ial in e en ion? A e new cul u al
p ojec s al e ing his o ical na a i es? The documen si s in obse a ions aken om
ieldwo k and esea ch ac i i y in h ee di e en si es – Tallinn, Che nobyl/P ypia and
Po o - and assumes a agmen a y and g ounded posi ion, insc ibing he anno a ions
and a pos e io i concep ualiza ion on a possible dialogue be ween he condi ions and
he con as ing cul u al app oaches.
ABSTRACT
a chi ec u e, con empo a y cul u e, pos -indus ial cul u es,
eu opean pe iphe y, p ojec ing memo y
KEYWORDS
TWO EXTREMES AT THE EUROPEAN PERIPHERIES:
BALTIC AND IBERIAN POST-INDUSTRIAL CULTURES
Inês Mo ei a 141
The con e ence `No es on Eu ope. The dogma ic sleep´ poses wide ques ions on cul u al and his o i-
cal he e ogenei y wi hin Eu opean e i o ies, he con lic ing pas and p esen geopoli ics, along
Eu ope´s shi ing in e nal and ex e nal bo de s. These undamen al and ounding ques ions esona e
wi h he conce ns unde laying he ieldwo k esea ch which I ha e been de eloping in he las h ee
yea s on he he esigni ica ion o o me
iconic indus ial si es h ough new con em-
po a y cul u es, p ac ices and na a i es¹.
Unde he p ecise i le - `Two ex emes a he Eu opean pe iphe ies: Bal ic and Ibe ian pos -indus-
ial cul u es´ - lays he will and a emp o g asp dis an and, o a ce ain ex en , un ela ed cul u al
condi ions o wo ex emely di e se egions in he pe iphe y o Eu ope, one acing he Bal ic Sea
and exi ing he o me USSR, he o he one acing he A lan ic and i s o me empi es. The dissim-
ila his o ical and geopoli ical ci cums ances, changing bounda ies, na ionali ies, iden i ies, and
languages in he Bal ic egion, con as wi h he s able na ional bo de s o bo h o me head/me op-
olises o he A lan ic Empi es – Spain and Po ugal. As in he pas , he wo egions ela e o his o y
and con empo a y cul u e di e en ly.
In he las h ee decades he his o ical, poli ical and cul u al his o y o he egions ha e changed signi -
ican ly, i was he pe iod o de-indus ializa ion in he Sou h and o wi hd awal o he communis
s a e om he Eas e n coun ies/bo de s. Recen his o y has condi ioned he ongoing pos -indus-
ial p ocesses and, wha ma e s specially o ou a gumen , i a ec s di e en cul u al eadings and
app oaches o he emains o indus y: was i he “he oic” ges u e o philan h opic en ep eneu s
who b ough p og ess and mode ni y o u al and poo coun ies? Was i he imposi ion o a s a e
machine un by a cen al managemen sys em dehumanizing wo ke s and exhaus ing esou ces?
The esigni ica ion o pas si es and s o ies can be ex eme, whe he hype bolically celeb a ed and
ebuil , o ac i ely e aced, he spa ial and cul u al s a egies deployed in each loca ion can ha dly be
ep esen ed in a single o e a ching mapping o Eu ope, o in a single w i en ex . The e o e, ou aim
is o b ing o h examples o esigni ica ion o he pas , memo y and space h ough new con empo-
a y and spa ial cul u es by posing a se o ques ions: which pas s a e celeb a ed and e aced h ough
spa ial in e en ion? a e new cul u al p ojec s al e ing his o ical na a i es?
Relying on a selec ion o ex eme pos -indus ial si es which I ha e isi ed be ween 2016 and 2019, he
ex p esen s obse a ions on h ee si es: he i s si e, conside ed he mos ex eme si e in Eu ope,
is Che nobyl Exclusion Zone, Uk aine; he second si e is he old Wa e on o Tallinn, in Es onia;
he hi d si e is he Eas e n Ri e side Slope o Po o, Po ugal.
To p o ide he complexi y o he ex u es and con adic ions wi hin he speci ic cases, ins ead o
p esen ing a o alizing single a gumen , a inal sha p syn hesis, o an exhaus i e s udy wi h de ailed
compa a i e cha e s, he app oaches deployed a e en a i e and case s udy based, insc ibing he
anno a ions aken du ing indi idual ieldwo k obse a ion.
Fieldwo k mapping
This pape is pa o a wide Pos -Doc o al Resea ch i led:`Cu a ing and
e i alizing buildings – in e ening in pos indus ial spaces in Eu ope in he
21s cen u y´ and includes a sho passage p e iously published in a book on
ieldwo k ip o Es onia: Mo ei a, Ines (2019). Es onia 2016-2018.
Po o: Ci co de Ideias.
¹
Machines, Spide s and Buccanee s
WALKING AROUND THE SUN. No es on Eu ope. The Dogma ic Sleep.
142
Figu e 1. P ypia 1970. Monumen celeb a ing he new
ci y o P ypia and ma king he en ance o he a ea.
Today i si s wi hin he exclusion zone o Che nobyl,
in Uk aine. Pho o by he au ho , May 2019
Figu e 1
Add essing he con empo a y condi ion o inhe i ed echno-cul u al sys ems in Eu ope and he ela-
ions be ween collec i e memo y and he physical emnan s pushed owa ds an ex eme si e which
encapsula es he ensions, con adic ions and isks inhe en o pos -indus iali y: he exclusion
zone o he nuclea disas e o Che nobyl².
The exclusion zone is a pos -indus ial conund um wi hin ex eme condi ions whe e he o me Eas -
e n and Wes e n Eu opean blocks we e spli . This secluded e i o y is oday si ua ed in he bo de
o Uk aine and Byelo ussia, in a wide scale in he iangula a ea o Uk aine, Byelo ussia and Russia,
which we e oge he un il 28 yea s ago as he Wes e n a ea o So ie Union.
The exclusion zone o Che nobyl encapsula es ex eme ensions and meanings, ini ially a he ime o
he nuclea acciden , in 1986, hose poli ical ensions be ween eas e n and wes e n a he ime o he
nuclea acciden wi h he immedia e consequence o in e na ional p opaga ion o nuclea adia ion
due o he lack o poli ical admi ance and measu es o es ain and e acua e popula ion³. Imme-
dia ely a e , he physico-chemical ension be ween he adia ion o he “in isible enemy” and i s
Ex eme si e 1: Che nobyl Exclusion Zone
The isi o he exclusion zone o Che nobyl ook place in May 2019 and was made possible wi hin he pe iod o in e na ional
academic exchange inanced by Mobili y Plus 3, wi h Uni e si y o Po o and Pa lo Technical Uni e si y o Uman, in Uk aine.
The e o e, he ieldwo k obse a ions ega ding he si e and he cul u al p ac ices a s ake e e o ha pe iod.
²
Che nobyl disas e , ac s and e en s, ha e ecen ly gained global popula
a en ion h ough he ele ision se ies p oduced by HBO and di ec ed by
Johan Renck. The se ies is a ic ional econs uc ion p o iding and insigh
o he e en s leading o he nuclea disas e , i s immedia e esponse, isks,
consequences and emedia ion and was ilmed in a decommissioned
nuclea powe plan in Li huania, Ignalina.
³
TWO EXTREMES AT THE EUROPEAN PERIPHERIES:
BALTIC AND IBERIAN POST-INDUSTRIAL CULTURES
Inês Mo ei a 143
pene a ion in he bodies o humans, animals, ege a ion, he objec s and i s deadly a mosphe ic
p esence i s in local se le s, hen in he bodies and minds o housands o liquida o s collabo a -
ing in sealing, cleaning and s abilizing he a e e ec s, and now in he deb is, he de elic ion and
he emnan s o he abandoned buildings. All hese e en s occu ed while he nuclea powe plan
kep ope a ing. The isible and in isible enemies, na u e and echnology, human and non-human
con inui ies, ecalling o pas e en s and p og essi e des uc ion as p oblem-sol ing a e embedded
in he many laye s o he las 33 yea s.
In 2019, he ac ual condi ions on he g ound a e a complex ma e ial and semio ic eali y, whe e dissim-
ila agen s ope a e hei ac ions and p oduce new na a i es. As an “exclusion zone” Che nobyl is an
ex eme mili a ized pos -indus ial si e, whe e li e uns in new un o eseen ensions be ween ecall-
ing he acciden and adia ion as i emains an exclusion zone while he e ec s o he acciden shall
no be igno ed, and emembe ing i s consequences, as he auma o i s impac and consequences
a ec s collec i e memo y – Uk ainian and o me So ie .
In a ime when Uk aine unde goes a p ocess o decommuniza ion o i s poli ics and na ional iden i y
h ough he des uc ion o So ie and Communis symbols such as mosaics, sculp u es and o he
symbolic e e ences, he exclusion zone o Che nobyl mi o s e en mo e complex images, as i
cons i u es an ho o se whe e mosaics, sculp u es, insc ip ions and o he andom objec s can be
mis aken o nos algic pa aphe nalia.
The exclusion zone o Che nobyl is w apped inside/ou side a ew shielding laye s which c ea e con a-
dic o y eadings and unde s andings, poin ing he complexi y a s ake: i is an un ouchable adioac-
i e ime-capsule which mus be kep s ill and, as a consequence, became a new wild in es ed o es ,
a isible and in isible na u e-cul u e.
P ypia was a “nuclea ” ci y buil o suppo Che nobyl powe s a ion, i s names, ade logos and
symbols, he sculp u es and o ms poin o he a om, o P ome heus and o a b igh nuclea u u e.
Ma e ially cons i u ed o buildings, objec s and elemen s s a ic as in he momen o he 1986 e ac-
ua ion, e en hough de elic , i celeb a es he iconog aphy and oponomy o a he oic nuclea so ie
pas . None heless, he adia ion keeps he nuclea ci y unli eable.
Unlike he si es o wa and collec i e auma, whe e he pe pe a o s we e iden i iable “o he ”, in
Che nobyl he enemy was in isible – adia ion – and hose esponsible we e no “o he ”, hey we e
a mal unc ion and/o pa o he same s a e. The na a i e o he acciden is ansmi ed h ough
ca e ul aken ca e memo ials, and a small mili a y museum, celeb a ing he he oes, he i e wo k-
e s, mili a ies, mine s and liquida o s who ga e hei ime and li es. These memo ials ha e a small
scale and p esence when compa ed wi h he as ex ension o he wild woods which ook o e he
e i o y and hos wild auna, all li ing wi h adia ion.
I in Che nobyl he enemy was he powe plan , he pa adox is ha is s ill ope a ing and gene a ing
nuclea ene gy. One o he monumen s celeb a ing he communis he oic ex inc ion o he i es and
adia ion c ea ed by he nuclea explosion is in on he s ill unc ioning powe s a ion. I human
Machines, Spide s and Buccanee s
WALKING AROUND THE SUN. No es on Eu ope. The Dogma ic Sleep.
144
Figu e 2. Old sea on o Tallinn. Fo me mili a y and
indus ial a ea by he Bal ic Sea. Today i is a landscape
p omenade connec ing cul u al ins i u ions occupying
se e al ecupe a ed buildings, in Es onia. Pho o by he
au ho , No embe 2016
p esence was educed o a minimum, i s wi h he e acua ion, now wo king by sho shi s, he
echno-cul u al in isible enemy has double mani es p esence. The monumen , in on o he
same ope a ing plan , celeb a es he he oes o he pas nuclea explosion, una oidably e oking
wi h eloquence he dange o u u e h ea s.
The exclusion zone is a enced, es ic ed and mili a ized a ea, whe e access is pe mi ed, and highly
con olled, o egis e ed isi o s. I is no a pa k, a public space, no a museum, a memo ial o a his o -
ical si e, a bes , i is all oge he , plus i s new openness o he ou is ic en ance, ollowing he mili a y
ules. The w i ing o memo y is a icula ed a ound monumen s de o ed o he oes, wi h a memo ial
e e ing he names o ci ilian illages and owns e acua ed since he acciden . By now, collec i e ci il-
ian memo y and subjec i e es imonies we e le ou side he zone, as he oices o i s o me esiden s
published by Nobel P ize winne S e lana Alexie ich⁴.
Indi idual es imonies and pa ial subjec i e s o ies a e published in he book by Byelo ussian au ho S e lana Alexie ich, “Voices om
Che nobyl: The O al His o y o a Nuclea Disas e ”, 1997.
⁴
Ex eme si e 2: Old Sea on o Tallinn
Figu e 2

TWO EXTREMES AT THE EUROPEAN PERIPHERIES:
BALTIC AND IBERIAN POST-INDUSTRIAL CULTURES
Inês Mo ei a 145
The isi o he Es onia and he Bal ic egion ook place in Decembe 2016 and was made possible wi h he suppo o Ai Bal ic and o
The Bal ic Pa illion a Venice A chi ec u e Biennale 2016 - he ieldwo k obse a ions ega ding he si e e e o ha pe iod.
⁶
Pos -indus iali y is a sys emic eali y, and no a me e memo y o he pas . In Es onia, mos powe
ne wo ks, mining ope a ions and u ban se lemen s ha we e ins umen s o he so ie indus ial-
iza ion o he Bal ic S a es emain unc ional oday⁵. Wande ing
h ough i s physical e i o y om he pe iod o g ea indus ial-
iza ion, be ween iden i ies and emnan s o so ie echnology,
is bo h an anach onic and indi idual expe ience⁶.
The econ igu a ion o disman ling o hose as spaces calls o a new ela ionship be ween socie y
and i s en i onmen – he So ie Union was no a p o ec o o i s na u al e i o ies. Elec ici y
ne wo ks, ossil uel pipelines, nuclea plan s, geological sec ions, mine als, ele an s uc u es,
insula ion ma e ials and landscape ope a ions a e pa o his con ex and o he new a chi ec u al
commi men s aced by Es onia, whom a i ms i sel as he mos digi al Eu opean coun y, he one
ha in es s he mos in in o ma ion echnologies and i s pos -indus ial condi ion.
The pos -indus ial imagina y o he las decades is ma ked by ac s and ic ion. S alke , he apocalyp ic
science ic ion ilm sho in he la e 1970’s by di ec o And ei Ta ko sky, is a pa adigm o he in lu-
ence o science ic ion on global collec i e imagina y. The ilm o esees he chaos o a s ongly buil ,
pollu ed and indus ialized e i o y. The con amina ed en i onmen , in asi e na u e and oxic
a mosphe e o e con ex o he me apho ic dimension o he dialogue ha occu s wi hin a chi ec-
u es and in as uc u es wi h s ong signs o deg ada ion.
The ac ual indus ial con amina ion o he loca ions o he ilm, some o which in Tallinn, nea he Bal ic
sea on , p o ed a al o a signi ican pa o he ac ual ilmmake ’s eam. In a ha sh connec ion be ween
eali y and ic ion, much o he eam would die, in oxica ed by he adia ion and chemical compos s
p esen on he se s. In he ilm, S alke says: “The Zone wan s o be espec ed. O he wise i will punish”.
Tallinn´s old sea on is sco ed wi h la ge ees and agmen s o p e ab ica ed conc e e slabs, a bucolic
pa h be ween ci y, indus y and uins. So ie p e ab ica ion allowed o he mass cons uc ion o
acades, slabs and co e ings o housing, indus y, kolkhoz and public buildings. I also d o e he
cons uc ion o access amps o he wa e used by people and boa s, which oday, co oded by he
sal pe e and empe a u e a ia ion, appea as a second na u e, p o oundly a i icialized, whe e
o pedoes, ships and o he mili a y pieces om he Ma i ime Museum a e displayed. Fu he away,
new e ies and c uises make he connec ion wi h Scandina ia. In he u u e, hese will be subs i-
u ed by he unde wa e ain unnel ha is being planned.
In he ilm, Ta ko sky’s cha ac e , S alke , ells us: “The Zone is a e y complica ed sys em o aps, and
hey' e all deadly. I don' know wha 's going on he e in he absence o people, bu he momen someone shows up,
e e y hing comes in o mo ion. Old aps disappea , and new ones eme ge. Sa e spo s become impassable. Now
you pa h is easy, now i 's hopelessly in ol ed. Tha 's he Zone. I may e en seem cap icious. (…) Bu e e y hing
ha 's going on he e depends no on he Zone, bu on us!”⁷. The si e
esona es wi h he ilm, and back: he apocalyp ic ilm was sho he e, and he p esen abandonmen
ecalls he apocalyp ic ic ion.
A e sion o he ieldwo k isi o he sea on
o Tallinn ieldwo k isi was p e iously published
in: Mo ei a, Ines (2019). Es onia 2016-2018.
Po o: Ci co de Ideias.
⁵
Film: S alke , 1979, di ec ed by And ei Ta ko ski.
⁷
Machines, Spide s and Buccanee s
WALKING AROUND THE SUN. No es on Eu ope. The Dogma ic Sleep.
146
Be ween he Ma i ime Museum and he Linnahall, he abandoned so ie spo s cen e , eme ges a si e
o auma ic collec i e memo y, he a ea o Pa a ei P ision. Robus walls s e ch ou owa ds he
Sea, olding o e a o i ied ba izan and en eloped in ences o ba bed wi e. The e million o he
impe ial b ick and he us o he ga es con as wi h he g ey o he sky, he sea and he conc e e slabs
ha a i icialize he sea on . The ai is d y, he humidi y eezes and alls while i snows. In silence,
unde he snow, es s he gu ed enclosu e, pa ially co e ed in a is ic d awings and in e en ions.
Pa a ei P ision building encapsula es he ho o s o poli ical his o y: c ea ed in 1840 as a Russian Impe-
ial o i ica ion, i was a Russian and Ge man mili a y ga ison, a Russian maximum-secu i y p ison,
aken o e by he Nazi’s in 1940 and a so ie p ison o he subsequen decades. I s s o ies a e ho i-
ying, i was o e c owded and had ooms ese ed o execu ions and medical expe imen s. I was
closed one yea a e Es onia joined he Eu opean Union, in 2005. Today i is a place ha embodies
he memo y o he igh o eedom, bu , since Augus 2016 i has been closed o isi o s. I s p esen
ci cums ances a e also ense, i is in dange and awai s he i agiza ion. (I was no allowed in.)
Celeb a ing he pe iod o so ie occupa ion is ce ainly no he app oach o Es onian iden i y poli ics,
nei he is i pa o he cu en sen imen al mood, as can be seen in he o me p ison o Tallinn, he
Pa a ei. I is impo an o unde s and ha he memo y o he so ie pas is s ill esh, as independ-
ence was only achie ed in 1991 and many ci izens s ill bi e ly emembe hese imes – he e is no
nos algia, al hough i exis s some memo abilia o he ime le o isi o s and hips e s.
I is also impo an o ecognise ha he cinema og aphic a mosphe e o And ei Ta ko sky was one o
he imagina y guides o his e i o y, bo h in he ieldwo k ip, and o ou imagina y o he Bal ic
egion. Almos 40 yea s a e he shoo ing o S alke , i is possible o gauge he ans o ma ion o i s
se s, eal buildings in di e en s a es and si ua ions, while also looking a an apocalyp ic Es onia
ep esen ed in science ic ion om he 1970’s, which is oday somewha main ained bo h in eali y
and ic ion. Cap u ing he non-melancholic pos -indus iali y ha emb aces he p esen and inco -
po a es i s con adic ions is a g ea challenge: eali y bea s ic ion.
TWO EXTREMES AT THE EUROPEAN PERIPHERIES:
BALTIC AND IBERIAN POST-INDUSTRIAL CULTURES
Inês Mo ei a 147
Figu e 3
Ex eme si e 3: Eas e n Slope
o Po o Ri e side
The eas e n slope o Po o´s i e side ex ends om he abandoned XIX h cen u y Dona Ma ia i on
b idge, designed by Gus a e Ei el, and a XXIs cen u y unnel linking Po o o he nex ci y, Gondo-
ma . Fo mos o i s 1500m i e long leng h, he slope consis s o emp y land, wild ege a ion and
abandoned builds, pa o which u al, ha ing a as ex ension co e ed wi h pos -indus ial buildings
and si es, o iginally p i a ely owned, wi h ew excep ions. Indus ializa ion was led by bou geois
amilies, i s aces a e many, bu no o S a e scale.
Neglec ed and dilapida ed un il e y ecen ly, he uppe le el o he slope is punc ua ed by smalls
indus ies in a e y popula ed a ea whe e wo ke s housing, he islands (ilhas), a e s ill inhabi ed
and p i a e. These small in a-human s uc u es, whe e amilies li e in indi idual one loo houses
abou 16sqm, wi h no mode n acili ies, hide behind he bou geois açades. The a ea unde goes eal
es a e in es men and ans o ma ion, ha ing se e al buildings con e ed as new ho els, hos els
and o he ou is ela ed business.
Pa adoxically, he p i ileged lowe le el o he wa e on , wi h i s wide i e access, Gus a e Ei el
A enue, is abandoned excep o a ew unc ioning s uc u es: a gaz s a ion, a magna e´s a m
mansion, he headqua e s o his cons uc ion company, wo high-end apa men blocks, and,
Figu e 3. Eas e n Slope o Po o Ri e side. The i e side is a as a ea o he ci y ma ked by se e e geog aphical, economic and social
con as s, spli and c ossed by laye s o in as uc u e - elec ici y, wa e , sewage, ain and highway -, aside poo wo ke s houses, se e al
abandoned indus ial buildings and emp y plo s, spo ed by high-end housing blocks, mansions and a i e-s a ho el by he wa e .
Pho o: Miguel Oli ei a
Machines, Spide s and Buccanee s
WALKING AROUND THE SUN. No es on Eu ope. The Dogma ic Sleep.
148
o he ex eme eas side, he P ess Museum and a ecen i e-s a ho el in a ba oque palace by he
ma ina wa e on .
The emp y mid-slope, be ween he wa e on and he uppe own, occupies mos o he a ea, i is
a complex zone, spli and c ossed by se e al laye s o in as uc u e: he o me elec ic powe
s a ion, i s uins and abandoned s uc u es, whe e wa e canals un along u al alleys, ain acks,
unnels, iaduc s and b idges (highway, ain), all punc ua ed by mino wo ke s´ neighbou hoods.
The slope has p i ileged i e iews, he e a e umou s o u u e cons uc ion plans b inging new
in ensi e housing o he a ea, as in ano he couple o unsuccess ul a emp s in he 1990’s and in he
2000’s. Today, i emains a “ e ain ague” o p omised u u e plans, occupied by poo amilies, and
by empo a y nomadic g oups⁸.
Fu he eas , a he eas e n e ex, and apex, o he eas e n slope o Po o i e side, in F eixo, si s a
con olu ed his o ical complex which encapsula es s o ies as con olu ed as i s ba oque a chi ec u e.
The ba oque a is oc a ic palace by he i e , designed in he XVIII h cen u y by he I alian a chi ec
Nicolau Nasoni, was h oughou ime econ e ed in s yle and unc ion, la e augmen ed wi h o he
less noble unc ions du ing he XIX h cen u y. A e he o iginal cons uc ion as a pleasu e house and
ga den o Tá o a amily, he si e o he palace hos ed a soap ac o y which, a e a i e, was seconded
by a dis ille y, and decades la e , he palace became he headqua e s o a lou mill company – Ha mo-
nia – which buil a 45m high indus ial i on cas building in he palace´s main e ace, in on o he
main açade, esuming he nobili y o i s o igins. La e , Ha monia Company buil mode n acili ies
ac oss he oad, abandoning he complex, which was dilapida ed du ing XX h cen u y.
F eixo Palace and Ha monia Flou mill embody a se o condi ions and decisions which e lec Po uguese
his o y, om a ansien a is oc acy o he uns able succession o bou geois indus ial p oduc ion,
i s long pe iod o abandonmen and esu gence as a classi ied he i age si e, a Na ional Monumen ,
and pos e io p i a iza ion. A e decades o neglec , he Palace and he Flou mill we e abandoned
uins. I s daun ing spa iali y and peculia loca ion we e used ini ially as enue o a si e-speci ic
con empo a y a exhibi ion in 1993,
Wal e Benjamin´s B ie case⁹, which
e ealed he modula i on s uc u e o
mill, he spa iali y o he building and i s
exis ing machine y, opening he possibili y o become in 1998 he new Museum o Science and Indus-
y o Po o, o p ese e and expose he his o y and memo y o he indus ializa ion. The li e o he
Museum was b ie , and in 2006 he newly econ e ed building was emp ied, he collec ions s o ed,
and he building le o he p i a e company Pes ana. The Museum was closed so o be con e ed
F om 28 h Sep embe o 4 Oc obe 2019, I had he oppo uni y o co-o ganize and men o wi h Ane a Szylak, he ad anced cou se Pos -
Nos algic Knowings, o ganized by he Ci y Hall o Po o, wi h he in i ed gues s An on Ka s, Elena Lac uz, Jonas Žukauskas, Jo ge Rica do
Pin o, Sol i a K ese. Pos -Nos algic Knowings is a cou se on cul u e and c i ical hinking which aims o look a di e en places in Eu ope which
con ain collec i e s o ies in disappea ance, scanning he po ency o ecen cu a o ial and a is ic esea ch and in e en ion. The cou se
p esen s a a ie y o “pos -nos algic” app oaches by au ho s add essing places in Uk aine, Poland, La ia, Li huania and Spain, o unde s and
how con empo a y knowings allow o eading, in e ening and may con ibu e o esigni y hose places, whe he in i s ela ion o pas
memo ies and, mos specially, as ede ining new con empo a y na a i es. T ying o o e come he s ic ly p ese a ionis and conse a i e
app oaches, he cou se will ocus on a speci ic loca ion in Po o, he F eixo hillside, cha ac e ized by he simul anei y o indus ial his o y and
he cu en p essu e o eal es a e in e es s on he buildings and he land. P og am: h p://www.plaka.po o.p / ichei os/p ojec os /190827_
PLAKA_PLK_PTENG_p og ama_1.pd
⁸
The exhibi ion “Wal e Benjamin´s B ie case” ook place a he p emises o he
Ha monia in F eixo, be ween 6 No embe and 15 Decembe 1993. Cu a ed by And ew
Ren on, i included wo ks by a is s: Ch is ine Bo land, And ea Fishe , Douglas Go don,
G aham Gussin, Ca oline Russell, Jane Wilson / Louise Wilson. Fe nandes, João.
Wal e Benjamin's B ie case. Po o: Po o Ci y Hall, 1993.
⁹