The Practice of Aesthetic Imperfection at NDSM Wharf
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The Practice of Aesthetic Imperfection at NDSM Wharf From Rubbish to Gentrification Name Lotte Timmermans Student number 5674255 Subject MA Thesis European Studies Supervisor dr. Chiara de Cesari 2nd supervisor prof. dr. Joep Leerssen Date July 6, 2015 2 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 3 RESEARCH QUESTION AND OUTLINE 4 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: GENTRIFICATION AND IMPERFECTION 5 FROM REGENERATING THE CITY TO GENTRIFICATION 5 GENTRIFICATION: THEORY AND PRACTICES 6 CLASSIC GENTRIFICATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CLASS 7 THE EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION AND MUTATION 9 GENTRIFICATION: WAVES 12 GENTRIFICATION: PHASES, SITES, AND AGENTS 13 THE CREATIVE MIDDLE-CLASS AND GENTRIFICATION 16 GENTRIFICATIONS AND AESTHETICS 18 AESTHETIC IMPERFECTION: COMING TO A THEORETICAL UNDERSTANDING 19 RUBBISH THEORY: WHERE GENTRIFICATION AND IMPERFECTION MEET 20 TOWARDS A THEORY OF AESTHETIC IMPERFECTION? 22 ON UNDERSTANDING IMPERFECTION: THE DARK SIDE OF THE OTHER? 24 AESTHETIC IMPERFECTION AS THE PRACTICE OF RUBBISH TO DURABLE TRANSFER? 26 ON THE INNOVATION OF IMPERFECTION 27 CONCLUSION 31 METHODOLOGY 32 CASE STUDY: NDSM WHARF 33 NDSM WHARF: A SHORT INTRODUCTION 33 HISTORY 33 GEOGRAPHY 34 ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND 35 GENTRIFICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS AND AMSTERDAM 38 GENTRIFICATION POLICY IN AMSTERDAM 40 AMSTERDAM AND NDSM WHARF EAST 41 IMPERFECTION AT SHIPBUILDING HALL 42 IMPERFECTION AT THE WELDING HALL, CRAFTSMAN WORKSHOP, AND SMITHY BUILDING 45 IMPERFECTION AT NOORDERLICHT AND PLLEK 49 IN CONCLUSION: DIFFERENT LEVELS OF AESTHETIC IMPERFECTION 53 THE PRACTICE OF AESTHETIC IMPERFECTION: FROM RUBBISH TO GENTRIFICATION 54 BIBLIOGRAPHY 56 3 Introduction For years, one of the places to be in Amsterdam is NDSM Wharf. The original ship- docking site is characterized by a raw and industrial design, and presents an interesting mix of art, culture, leisure, and business, which attracts numerous of people for several purposes. This phenomenon of original industrial sites is not uncommon as similar practices are present in cities such as Barcelona and Berlin. In these cities, old industrial sites such as Can Ricart and RAW-Temple show many resemblances to NDSM Wharf in terms of design and organization. Whereas previously these neglected and raw spaces were discarded, artists and creatives began to show an interest in using these spaces for artistic and creative purposes. As a result of further developments, and the manifestation of events at such sites, more and more people from non-artistic and creative circles are drawn to these sites: a process that is called gentrification. According to Ellen Rutten, this interest for raw and industrial design could be best understood as an appreciation for aesthetic imperfection. She understands this appreciation for the imperfect as a reaction to increasing technologies, which gives us the control to perfect everyday life. Such sites as NDSM Wharf, Can Ricart, and RAW- Temple show a high level of authenticity we long for as a contrast to the augmented realities we create by media such as Facebook and Photoshop. This return to neglected objects or sites is theorized by Michael Thompson in Rubbish Theory, in which he argues that by means of an aesthetic appreciation for rubbish objects, these can become (re)valued by society again. One of the vastest and well-known examples of re-valuation is the process of gentrification: previously unvalued buildings become popular again and increasingly attract both more people and more investments, which often can lead to new and innovative projects. This gentrification process is also present at the industrial sites NDSM Wharf, Can Ricart, and RAW-Temple. However, can we indeed argue that the increasing popularity and development of these areas is the result of an appreciation of aesthetic imperfection? This thesis explores the implications of aesthetic imperfections at industrial sites. It will use NDSM Wharf as a case study to assess to what extent gentrification processes, rubbish theory, and the appreciation of aesthetic imperfection are connected. In the theoretical framework these three notions will be linked, which will show that the manifestation of aesthetic imperfections resembles the practice of transitioning rubbish objects into valuable objects, in which gentrification is a result of this practice. 4 Research Question and Outline This thesis examines whether we could approach aesthetic imperfection as the practice of value transitioning in rubbish theory. In order to answer this question, we will first consider two theoretical frameworks: gentrification theory, and rubbish theory in connection to aesthetic imperfection. After we have established our theoretical framework, we will apply that in our analysis of the gentrification process and the manifestation of aesthetic imperfection at NDSM Wharf. What this thesis aims to achieve is to offer a better understanding of how shifts in aesthetic trends (that in the case of gentrification can alter several lives immensely) develop. 5 Theoretical Framework: Gentrification and Imperfection This thesis responds to two theoretical frameworks, which it opts to bring together in the case study NDSM Wharf: gentrification and imperfection. In his book Rubbish Theory (1979) Michael Thomson argues that gentrification falls under the process of turning that what is deemed to be rubbish (i.e. unvalued by society) into something with durable value. In the same vein, Ellen Rutten recognizes an appreciation of aesthetic imperfection in contemporary society, as an answer to our increasing ability to perfect our surroundings and daily lives (2011). In other words, she too observes an interest and new use of formerly perceived rubbish materials. This link between rubbish theory and aesthetic imperfection are also present in gentrification processes. The sociologist Sharon Zukin considers gentrification to be “a process of spatial and social differentiation” (1987: 131). However, she observes that much research on gentrification often only focusses on either the spatial or the social aspect of gentrification. This either/or approach in the study of gentrification has also resulted in research that predominantly focusses on the supply-side of gentrification or the demand-side, which both highlight different aspects of gentrification and, if not considered together, can show incomplete or disrupted data (Zukin 1987: 131). As gentrification and imperfection theories are closely linked, this theoretical framework will first dissect what gentrification is, how it has developed over time, what its different agents are, and its aesthetics. This will then be related, with Thompson’s rubbish theory as a linking theory, to the theory of aesthetic imperfection, and how imperfection seems to become increasingly present in many aspects of our daily lives. From regenerating the city to gentrification At the beginning of writing this thesis, I attempted to link the aesthetics of imperfection as found at NDSM Wharf, Amsterdam, to the practice of urban regeneration. However, it soon dawned on me that the practice of regeneration could not be approached as innocently as I assumed. As my research advanced, I realized that the development of NDSM Wharf as a creative and social space was not that easy to characterize and thus analyze. In order to understand the aesthetic imperfections of the design at NDSM Wharf, it is necessary to consider who decided to take this imperfect turn. In other words, I had to turn the question from what does it represent into who. Who were the initiators of regenerating this abandoned site across the water from inner-city Amsterdam? Who proved to remain as key agents, and which agents had joined the main 6 body of this regeneration process? Who are the people that feel attracted by NDSM? All these questions became crucial to understanding the practice of imperfection. However, in terms of theories on urban regeneration, this interaction between initiators, actors, and consumers is most predominantly ascribed to gentrification. After further research into the theory and practice of gentrification, it soon dawned on me that this concept would prove to be most productive for our research at hand, especially since it cannot be denied that NDSM Wharf fits the description of gentrification as a practice of urban regeneration, in which a class with certain privileges is able to take over an abandoned or neglected neighborhood or site by means of investment and renovation. By means of this practice, as a result, they push out those who belong to a class with less privileges than they do. Although NDSM Wharf did not function as an official place of residence or business when independent artists and creative entrepreneurs showed an interest in occupying the site in the late 1990s, it was mainly used by squatters for the purpose of art, culture, skating, and criminal activities (NDSM “Van Scheepswerf”). After years of development, renovation, and investment, today NDSM Wharf attracts not only creatives, but also commercial enterprises such as Hilton Hotel, (media) companies such as VIACOM, and restaurants and bars. Taking this into account, I have decided to analyze the creative imperfection in the design of NDSM Wharf not through the theoretical framework of regeneration, but through gentrification. Below I will first discuss some of the main features of gentrification theory and practices, which will be followed by a comparison between gentrification theory and the theory of imperfection and rubbish. Gentrification: theory and practices Much scholarly