Learning from Chernobyl: Reverse Colonialism and Feral Architectures

Aitor Frías Sanchez, Olena Orap, Joaquin Perailes Santiago
2023
Journal paper

Abstract

This article revolves around the concept of reverse colonialism and uses the fascinating example of Pripyat as a case study. Pripyat was deeply affected by the devastating Chornobyl nuclear accident in 1986. Following the disaster, the disappearance of its human inhabitants facilitated the transformation of this city into what the authors of this research refer to as anthropo-calyptic landscapes-scenarios where architectures abandoned by humans are colonized by what is known in the field of ecology as novel ecosystems. This process, which allows wild flora and fauna to conquer urban space, results in the emergence of feral architectures-abandoned buildings reclaimed by nature-. By exploring the process of reverse colonialism, the article critically delves into the concept of abiotic restoration, conventional practice in abandoned architecture restoration projects.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/311050?ln=en

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Related concepts (15)

Architecture

Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings or other structures. The term comes ; ; . Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art. Historical civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural achievements.

Byzantine architecture

Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire. The Byzantine era is usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great established a new Roman capital in Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. However, there was initially no hard line between the Byzantine and Roman Empires, and early Byzantine architecture is stylistically and structurally distinguishable from earlier Roman architecture.

History of colonialism

The historical phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Turks, and the Arabs. Colonialism in the modern sense began with the "Age of Discovery", led by Portuguese, who became increasingly adventuresome following the conquest of Ceuta in 1415, aiming to control navigation through the Strait of Gibraltar, expand Christianity, obtain plunder, and suppress predation on Portuguese populations by Barbary pirates as part of a longstanding African slave trade; at that point a minor trade, one the Portuguese would soon reverse and surpass.

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