Browsing by Author "Demker, Axel"

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Ljudlandskap i kulturmiljöer
(2009-08-03T09:33:49Z) Demker, Axel; University of Gothenburg/Department of Conservation; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för kulturvård
This bachelor thesis aims to draw attention to sound in the heritage sector in Sweden. In particular, to the soundscapes that can be identified in our cultural heritage environments. Sounds in an environment, here called soundscapes, affect our perception of the environment and how we remember it. To find out how the heritage sector uses and would be able to use sounds, I have firstly studied if audio recording is comparable with the visual photographic image. I then present examples of sound documentation concerning the conservation of built environment. In addition, I have interviewed five key informants who all have a central responsibility for five cultural heritage environments. Cultural heritage environments are selected on the basis that they already are generally accepted as part of our cultural heritage. The five Swedish cultural heritage environments that have been selected are: Visby city inside the ring wall, the Old town in Stockholm, Kvarnbyn in Mölndal, Town hall extension in Gothenburg (interior) and the Clerk Association house in Gothenburg (interior). The conclusions I draw from my study is that there are no ongoing systematic documentation of sounds or soundscapes. Sound documentation could though be useful in the conservation of built environment concerning soundscapes. Soundscapes is primarily influenced by material properties. As long as new material is of the same type and have the same quality it will not affect the soundscape at an exchange of the original material. In cases where original material cannot be maintained nor be efficiently substituted, the choice of new material can be based on the soundscape impact. A so-called L-labelling could be of interest for cultural heritage environments whose soundscapes are influenced by external factors or where change is required by the environment. There are areas where the perception of the environment is particularly sensitive to sound and acoustics. The existing antiquarian evaluations of historically buildings and environments need therefore to be supplemented with a perception of soundscapes. Through documentation and specification, appropriate areas for L-labelling can be specified.
Skärvor av en svit – förflutenhetens plats i Hammarkullen
(2011-09-16) Demker, Axel; University of Gothenburg/Department of Conservation; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för kulturvård
The present study examines the demolition of a house on Hammarkulletorget in 1996 and the discourse of Hammarkullen, Gothenburg (Sweden), drawn from the perspective of historicization [“historisering”]. I have examined how the past played role in presentations of Hammarkullen and how the past affected the decision to demolish a house. By examining which role the neighbourhood’s past time played in the perception of the neighbourhood, the thesis aims at providing a better understanding of how the past can influence and legitimize major changes in the urban environment. In the early 1980s the image of Hammarkullen as a victim of negative publicity is established and this reputation lives beyond the simplistic and negative descriptions themselfs. This has also established a duality in the presentations of Hammarkullen where the internal perception is positive and the external perception of Hammarkullen is negative. I have identified four different motives for the demolition at Hammarkulletorget. These have been summarized as follows, namely: 1. Housing policy, 2. Aesthetics and design, 3. Maintenance related, and 4. Area development. Together these four contributed to the decision of demolishing the house at Hammarkulletorget. The area that in general is referred to as “Hammarkullen” are the houses at Hammarkulletorget and Bredfjällsgatan. Although these houses represent only a part of Hammarkullen, they symbolize the whole district. Accordingly, it is not surprising that one of these houses were chosen for demolition. Hammarkullen has also been viewed as a neighbourhood where the desire for change is present. The desire for change probably contributed to the legitimacy of the demolition. This study’s main contribution are the examined time-spatial associations in the presented discourse of Hammarkullen and the studied demolition process, likewise the fact that the past has always been a part of the perception of the neighbourhood. This can be said to have contributed to the decision to demolish a house at Hammarkulletorget in 1996.