A Temporary Memorial Project for Jobbers' Canyon Built with ConAgra Products | ALN

Répertoire

Le Répertoire des arts et littératures hypermédiatiques (ALH) propose une recension des œuvres artistiques et littéraires employant plusieurs pratiques hypermédiatiques.

A Temporary Memorial Project for Jobbers' Canyon Built with ConAgra Products

Soumis par Joël Gauthier le mer, 01/16/2013 - 15:32

Auteur·e·s:

Gauthier, Joël

Fiche simple

A Temporary Memorial Project for Jobbers' Canyon Built with ConAgra Products est un projet de Nicholas O'Brien qui a pour but d'offrir en ligne un espace de mémoire pour les anciens immeubles du Jobbers' Canyon, un quartier historique d'Omaha (Nebraska). Ces immeubles, malgré leur valeur patrimoniale, ont été détruits en 1989 pour faire place aux nouveaux édifices de l'entreprise alimentaire ConAgra.

En arrivant sur le site Web du projet, l'internaute est d'abord accueilli par un texte de présentation expliquant l'histoire du quartier Jobbers' Canyon et le rôle de ConAgra dans sa destruction. Sur la gauche, une liste de liens permet à l'internaute d'accéder à des pages consacrées à certains immeubles maintenant disparus. Le projet abrite actuellement dix immeubles virtuels. Sur chacune des pages dédiés à ces immeubles, l'internaute retrouve l'ancienne adresse du bâtiment, des informations sur sa conception (architecte, date de construction, détails stylistiques, etc.) et un bref historique de son occupation. Juste en haut du texte, une vidéo activable présente une reconstitution 3D de l'immeuble disparu. Or, au lieu de chercher à imiter le fini original des immeubles, O'Brien a recouvert toutes les reconstitutions d'emballages de produits manufacturés par ConAgra. De plus, les reconstitutions ne sont pas statiques: chaque vidéo met en scène l'écroulement du bâtiment qui y figure. A Temporary Memorial Project for Jobbers' Canyon Built with ConAgra Products se présente donc essentiellement comme une accusation directe contre ConAgra, responsable de la perte d'une importante partie du patrimoine architectural d'Omaha.

A Temporary Memorial Project for Jobbers' Canyon Built with ConAgra Products

Artiste·s:

O'Brien, Nicholas

Média:

Internet

Année:

2012

http://turbulence.org/Works/jobberscanyon/

Infos

URL du site d'hébergement:

http://turbulence.org/

Date de dernière consultation de l'oeuvre:

16 Janvier 2013

Coordonnées de l'artiste:

nicholasobri@gmail.com

Groupe de recherche:
NT2

Taxonomies

Nature:

Oeuvre

Interactivité:

Activation, Capteur de position, Navigation à choix multiples

Format:

Texte, Vidéo/film/court-métrage

Thème:

Architecture, Archives, Critique sociale, Destruction, Histoire, Industrie, Mémoire, Patrimoine, Reconstitution

Média:

Internet

Année:

2012

Langue(s) de l'oeuvre:

Anglais

Citation(s)

J.I. Case Plow Works Building (1913), 814 Jackson Street / Marie Calendar's Chicken Pot Pie / Omaha architect George Prinz designed this three-story brick warehouse for the J. I. Case Plow Works Company in 1913. Constructed of brick bearing walls and a heavy timber frame, the 66 x 132-foot building exhibits segmentally arched windows and stone trim. Although the structure has been substantially altered (through the addition of a large metal-enclosed tower on the facade and the replacement or bricking-in of windows), it retains sufficient character to be classified as a contributing property in the district. / The Racine, Wisconsin based J. I. Case Company, a manufacturer and distributor of agricultural implements, utilized this structure from the time of its construction in the 1920's. Following that time, various businesses, including several wholesale grocery firms, located there. The structure's present owner and occupant, D. H. Foods, acquired the building in the mid-1950's.

Discours (notes)

In 1989, ConAgra, the second largest agricultural distributor in the United States, commissioned a new executive and corporate headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Construction required the demolition of twenty-four buildings in a district known as Jobbers' Canyon, six city blocks between 8th and 10th Streets, bounded by Jackson on the south and Farnam on the North. This area was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is considered the largest lost site on record. Its central location, railway connections and convenience for Midwestern agricultural producers made Jobbers' Canyon known throughout the nation as a hub for wholesale warehousing and distribution. "Jobbers" and "jobbing" identified the business practices of the wholesale purchasing and selling of goods to store-owners from the mid-1850s to the early years of the twentieth century, and remained a popular local term. / The buildings in question were largely masonry and timber frame warehouse constructions. They were well-known as examples of the Renaissance Revival style of their day. This style also contributed to the emergence of the "Realism" in warehouse architecture that established itself across the United States at the turn of the nineteenth century. Some of the individual buildings had been included in the National Registry earlier, but it was not until 1988 that the entire district was designated for recognition and preservation. At the time of demolition, plans had already been made for the rehabilitation and improvement of several of the buildings, in an effort to revitalize Omaha's downtown area. When plans were announced to replace Jobbers' Canyon with the ConAgra building, several local historic organizations and citizens' groups vehemently defended the need to preserve these architectural treasures. Unfortunately, ConAgra continued building, despite alternative proposals to allow the corporation to construct its headquarters alongside the district and so preventing its demolition. / In this work, ten of the buildings that were located in Jobbers' Canyon have been digitally rebuilt using preserved records and architectural drawings made by some prominent Omaha and Midwestern architects like Charles Cleves, John Latenser, and the Fisher and Lawrie firm. The original construction materials have been substituted with ConAgra products. By this means, the recreated buildings once again collapse under the pressure of this corporation. Each building is also accompanied by text from the official nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places Inventory, detailing the historical and architectural significance of the structure. These temporary digital monuments are as a homage to the buildings themselves as well as being an expression of appreciation for a Midwestern legacy whose architectural, commercial and cultural roots remain of value.

Biographie(s)

O'Brien, Nicholas

Précédent Pause Suivant

1 sur 1