Borui Xiong
Flowscapes
Atlantic Wall Ruins: the reverie before oblivion
Atlantic Wall ruins, history, and memory in Den Helder
In Den Helder, the Netherlands, as a counterpart to the non-ruins, the Atlantic Wall ruins have the potential to become valuable sites of memory that enable people to contemplate their own memories of the past, which will not only exist in the museum archives but also in our minds and imaginations.
This project proposes that post-war ruins can be used to articulate history, generating new memories and a more open attitude towards the past and the idea of decay. Rather than being redefined as museums or monuments, the idea is to turn decaying ruins into living ruin dynamics by emphasising ruinous qualities. It is not just a symbol, educator or reminder about history, but a process that allows people to step into history from the ruins, to gain a deeper understanding of the past, with the impulse to think and imagine the future relationship of ruins and city.