Classic fragments and ruins: ancient artworks in the contemporary city

Contemporary cities preserve, in their historic form, some symbols of the past: these had different purposes and their value has often changed over the years. The artistic value of these symbols remains in the city of today, enriching it of artworks that are flanked by contemporary ones. In this sense, a significant example is the Carre d'Art in Nimes, in association with the Maison Carree: both are artistic manifestations that complement each other because they represent two distant moments of architecture classical and contemporary but joined by the fact that they both contribute to characterize the contemporary city. Another example is the project for the city park Malpasset-Amphitheatre, in Frejus, in which elements of classicism the amphitheatre coexist with elements of modernity. The encounter between the old and the new is represented by the arrangement of the ancient Doric columns of the Neptune Temple which are flanked by a contemporary sculpture that evokes, in shape, the classical monument. So, the ancient and modern forms of art contribute to enrich what can be called a “open-air museum”. Then, can the ruins and classical fragments be considered artworks of “permanent installation” next to the artwork of “temporary installation”? In this regard, the solutions proposed by Igor Mitoraj are interesting because he inserts his contemporary sculptural works, inspired to Classicism, in the main European cities’ archaeological areas: the exhibition of these works in Trajan's Market is emblematic because classical ruins and modern sculptures create a highly evocative urban landscape. Here we propose compatible conservation strategies of the fragments and ruins as an expression of art in the contemporary city. The main scope is to avoid their “unconscious” enhancement, which would lead to aberrations (such as considering the fragments or ruins as a mere fetish of history: for example, the fragments of the Roman Forum in Arles “inserted” in the modern palaces, or the ruins of the Temple of Augustus in Barcelona “confined” inside a courtyard) or to phenomena of contrast or substitution in cases where the new artwork, located next to the ancient one, prevails and lessens the value of the latter.

Ҳали таржима қилинмаган