AS FOUND
The subject of the Master’s disseration is a well-known and controversial entity in
the center of Antwerp, Belgium: De Stadsschouwburg, our city theatre.
We analyse the history of the area, the context in which the building arose and the reason why the media is currently speaking about tearing down this building, which has only existed for 44 years.
MSc AR dissertation – June 2024
By using methods from the theme and publication As Found,
we want to prove that De Stadsschouwburg still has the potential to be the centre piece of the Theatre scene in Antwerp, both today and in the far future.
The building has a great value for its context and our culture.
The as found-attitude starts from an observation and anaysis of the extsiting, and stands firm against the Modernist principle of tabula rasa.
Although, it is more than a merely reflective method.
It demands a new way of thinking about found architecture, about the existing, where all elements in a place evoke memories. They need to be thoroughly analysed, so we can truly understand how our urban fabric came to be.
– De Caigny, S., Ertas, H., & Plevoets, B. (2023). As Found: Experiments in Preservation.
The stage // Machine. Currently not in use. We will give it back its full potential.
