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Leonie Van Bellingen: The Unexcavated: Architectures of Curiosity: Exploring a Spatial Condition, Copenhagen (DK)

As human beings we are driven by the desire to discover, by our curiosity of the unknown. The paradox is that when aware of an unknown space, and curiosity leads to the discovery, it disappears. It is not unknown anymore. The process of exploring however, is a spatial experience in itself, where the qualities of the unknown are celebrated. This is an experience of the unexcavated.

The unexcavated is a condition of a space that has not been exposed. It remains on the background; hidden or forgotten. There is a delicacy and richness to it that needs more insight. This thesis investigates the forms in which the unexcavated appears, the impact it has and what it might mean for architecture.
This dissertation, published as a book, is an atlas of practices. It is a process of experimenting and developing the topic.

[context]
The INCIPIENT RAUM: a space in which a certain condition is present that incites transformation. The quest to find this condition initiated in the cisterns of Søndermarken, a former water basin serving the city of Copenhagen. The remote and hidden chambers, in service of the operating city form a point of departure. The cisterns have been converted in form and function through time, yet the core of their identity has remained present through each transformation. The fragility of the space, affected by every new encounter and the remaining traces that strongly define a new condition led me to question the (im) permanence of space.The current use as exposition room for installations addressing urban debate illustrates this temporariness and particular spatial qualities or atmospheres that emerge. During my stay in Copenhagen the cisterns hosted the exhibition “This is not the end of the world” by Danish artist practice Superflex. It presents a post-human setting that reflects on institutional power and its impact on the climate. It brought my attention to our perception of dark, compressed or even unexcavated space influenced by curiosity and how we relate and interact in this space.

[proposition]
‘Unexcavated spaces’ in an atmospheric sense the unknown, the hidden, the forgotten, the private, are an important yet undiscovered, unregulated part of the city. They influence the depth of spatial perception and reveal the fragile network of society by their interdependency on other spaces. As a parallel line of enquiry, the concept of the unexcavated addresses the limit of space and resources to our disposal, it invites to consider the treatment and development of untapped sites regardless of the value they generate through investments or speculation.The condition of this particular room provides a base to analyse the concept of the unexcavated and its role in the world. It then becomes a projective tool that is tested on the case of Copenhagen.

[research question]
What is the significance and potentiality of unexcavated spaces, what role do they play in a spatial understanding of the world and how can it contribute as a spatial condition in design?

The Unexcavated