Memory and local identity after an earthquake: Recycling of symbolic rubbles and its use in public commemorative spaces

Abstract

This project is a valuation that seeks to create a consciousness of the recovery and reutilization of destroyed heritage (symbolic debris), with an emphasis on its potential use in public memorial spaces. An attempt is made to initiate a debate to determine earthquake response policies in the case of the destruction of buildings of importance, that would be embodied in laws to safeguard these monuments by means of the creation of special collection points (debris hospitals) where they would be stored and transformed to be re-used later once the crisis has passed. This article summarises the proposals from the “Projecting Memory” project, which suggests a way of dealing with destroyed heritage by putting forward an innovative proposal for its potential use in conserving local memory. This contributes to resolving an issue that has until now been dealt with in an improvised and thoughtless way: the use and management of debris.