Things co-exist in both the present and the time of their creation. In doing so they tell us something about both. As a thing ages, its material decays, and eventually reverts back into the soil. Not all at once; some parts out-last the others, remnants of the larger whole. A clue of what once was. A window on the past: the people that worked and lived there; their goals, their troubles, their joys, their culture, their skills.
How far back does one need to go to declare something a remnant? 2000 years, or 5 minutes?
The large stones embedded in the building on the left are the remains of Porta Praetoria, a gate into the Roman town of Castra Regina, was built in AD 179 by Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
The Society for German-Soviet Friendship reminds us both of what once was, or said to have been, and the current state of the relationship.
While the building itself is relatively new, it is designed according to an alpine architectural style — the chalet — that has evolved over the last several hundred years. As such, it reflects a local character, a local culture, but one that is widely recognised and dispersed. The style’s preservation over time offers a sense of continuity and identity.
A Common Global Culture
The local cutlural markers are supplanted by a globally-common architecture incorporating glass and steel. While globalization is most often thought of interms of the economic impact, the shared architectural style reminds of the cutlural impact.
When we see something old, we can recognise it is a vestige of a previous time, but it’s not alway clear what it tells us. A door leading into the side of a hill, lost in the trees. Its massive and substantial construction betray its importance, yet now, hidden away, its significance is gone. We might find out more about this place, but there will always be gaps to be filled by speculation and imagination.
Unlike the inanimate object, people can speak of their pasts. They can bring forward the recollections of their lived experience and of those who were ancient when they were young. But is it any more accurate? Our memories are in the background, hanging behind the present. As alzheimer’s takes its toll, what remains of us becomes less and less.
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