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RURAL ARCHITECTURE,TOURISM AND SIMULACRA

Simulacra are copies of things that no longer have an original use.

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The synthesis of the terms “rural architecture,tourism and simulacra” concludes that the diversityof rural architecture produces a renaissance ontourism, with the built environment playing acentral role.

Diversity is the product of the senses of a place, it isthe identity of each unique environment. Today, theglobal pressure of tourism, instant communicationand profit does not allow time for authenticevolution reducing rural architecture to simulacra.

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Diversity emerges from the various historicalpathways of settlements and constitutes today thefundamental perspective for local development.

Local development promoting rural identity is alsorelated to the “third wave” of development, the“informational”, raising issues on reconstruction or“place making” and on many other “in-between”notions like hybridity and authenticity.

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Population implosion and interaction imply a variety of interchange and diversitybetween cultures resulting in the phenomenon of heterogeneous architecture.

• Hybrididy translates the discourse that actually produces “constructions” of culturalidentity:

The ambivalent built environment produced and especially what will eventually survive defines the prospect ofarchitectural evolution and the identity of each place.

In this conceptual framework, the outcome of less implosive situations in theGreek rural space, where the interaction between cultures that occurred in everyhistorical period are recorded in structural and architectural elements -distinct evenfor adjacent settlements- documents the evolution of the phenomenon.

In present time, as long as culture becomes placeless, representation in three dimensions (architecture), as theexpression and the synthesis of cultures (hybrids) will reflect the degree of global counteract with the “networksociety”.

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If hybridity is accepted as an inherent constituent of identity then any particulararchitectural form must be accepted as a reflection of a specific transitional stagein the course of a society.

In Greece -center of intersection between peoples since antiquity- the evolution ofthe phenomenon has been recorded in every historical period. In some casesindeed, when development was interrupted momentarily due to a crisis(earthquake or other) the interval of history is clearly perceived through thediverse phases of heterogeneity and hybrids survival.

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1945

1960

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82008

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The restructuring of the Greek country followed different phases according tothe addition of successive regions that had been under distinct occupation forcenturies. In the early 19th century, Greece comprehended Peloponissos andSterea that had been under the Turk occupation since the 15th century. In theearly 19th century, parts of Greece like the Ionian islands and Crete –that hadbeen under Latin occupation until then- were turned under Turkish controluntil their later liberation. Northern and Eastern Greece (Epirus, Macedonia,Thraki and most of the islands of Aegean sea) continued to be under Turkishoccupation and were liberated during the 20th century. Population movementsand intercrosses between cultures provided a variety of architectural elementsdistinct even in neighboring settlements which corresponded to thearchitectural heritage of each micro-region that the modern Greek stateinherited.

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Representation in Greece/Identity of rural architecture

Identity constitutes a social good according to the specific historical paths ofeach region, from where “the desired” collective memory “is selected andprojected” onto the built environment, in respect to the symbolism of thearchitectural heritage in favour.

NEOCLASSICISM

The first historical phase, corresponds to the mid 19th -beginning of 20th century, when in the newly liberated partsof Greece, emphasis on neoclassical architecture was givenfollowing a simpler and clearer pattern than other parts of theworld, where neoclassicism already was practiced as aninternational movement. For Greece, the term traditionalarchitecture corresponds to architectural elements before the19th century, while neoclassicism corresponds to the firstphase of neo-traditional design. Neoclassicism, while arepresentation for other countries, for Greece was a “tradition”stemming from the Byzantine era and architecture.

Bavarian, French and Greek architects studied in the West,worked for neoclassical patterns in Greece fifty years later than inEurope, without having the ideological confrontations of therevolutionary classicism.

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LOCAL IDENTITY

The second historical phase corresponds to the most part of the 20th century, when Greek local identity was expressed under thesearch of tradition and the evolutionary theory, which formed the antipode to neoclassicism. In the beginning of the 20th century(second phase of neo-traditional design) when northern Greece was united (1st World War) and millions of Greek population weretransferred from Asia Minor -under the International Regulations for the Exchange of Population- an immense reconstruction programwas implemented. Emphasis was given to the search of the Greek origins of traditional architectural elements in order to implementdesign prototypes for the new towns and extensions plans for the new population.

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Modern/GlobalLocal

POST -TRADITIONAL

The third historical phase corresponds to the recent and current one with tourism and globalization consuming the individuality of tradition andthe local cultural heritage. In rural Greece, the last three decades -under building code legislation- traditional architectural elements for eachmicro-region have been implemented, creating a neo-vernacular environment. This fact is even more apparent in areas where tourism andholidays are imposing the (re)structuring of the built environment.

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European romanticism of the 18th century and consequently the developmentof neoclassical patterns for the built environment while a representation forthe nations of the West, for Greece -the land where ruins of classical valueswere still present- were incorporated in the ideology of the new nation andfunctioned as part of the domestic evolution. In fact, the clear distinction inGreece can only be perceived in the distribution of plots and plans, while inthree dimensions neoclassicism is fused with traditional patterns.

From the mid 20th century, modern architectural movement, once moreinspired by simple cubic forms of Aegean sea islands architecture andintercrossed with previous traditional and neoclassical architecture, composedthe contemporary Greek architecture that continuous to evolve and to createcharacteristic built environments, specific even between neighbouringsettlements.

Physical distributions represent the traditional pattern in rural areas(anthropological concentric-eastern logic).

Systematic distributions represent the last two centuries (westernlogic).

Physical distributions represent the traditional pattern in rural areas(anthropological concentric-eastern logic).

Systematic distributions represent the last two centuries (westernlogic).

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Now days under the topic of tourism, ruralarchitecture acquires a twofold meaning:

As an endogenous dynamic for tourismdevelopment (for commodities intendedfor use)As an architectural representation (asimulacra) of a traditional space forrecreation. A set of practices, normallygoverned by a ritual or symbolic nature,which seek to inculcate certain valuesand norms by reputation, whichautomatically imply continuity with thepast.

16Evolution

Reconstruction or heritage developmentfor the attraction of tourism?

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AUTHENTICITY: Recognised and accepted

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Simulacra: Interaction of rural architectural heritage with modern era

The rural architectural heritage is perceived as an economic commodityintended for consumption: TOURISM

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SURVIVAL OF HYBRIDS

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HETEROGENEITY

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SIFNOS ISLANDCyclades Aegean sea

SIFNOS ISLANDCyclades Aegean sea

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Corfou IslandNorth Ionian sea

Corfou IslandNorth Ionian sea

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Skyros IslandSporades

Aegean sea

Skyros IslandSporades

Aegean sea

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AnavatossettlementChios Island

Eastern Aegean sea

AnavatossettlementChios Island

Eastern Aegean sea

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Anafi islandcentral Aegean sea

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Olibi settlementChios island

Eastern Aegean sea

Olibi settlementChios island

Eastern Aegean sea

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Patmos islandCentral aegean sea

Patmos islandCentral aegean sea

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Florina settlementNorth Greece

Florina settlementNorth Greece

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Nonetheless, hybridization that comes along with (re)constructionsand neo-traditional projections -as well as the typologies just forconsumption- does not constitute architectural heritage. Structures, thathave only a specific beginning, but unknown duration and end, can notbe embraced in the definition of architectural heritage. For now, theyjustify the term simulacra.

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OBVIOUS HETEROGENOUS HERITAGEBETWEEN AUTHENTIC SETTLEMENTS

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Kastoria settlementNorth Greece

Kastoria settlementNorth Greece

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Monemvasia settlement

South Greece

Monemvasia settlement

South Greece

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Sifnos islandCentral aegean sea

Sifnos islandCentral aegean sea

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Hydra islandSaronic gulf

Hydra islandSaronic gulf

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and HYBRIDITY

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Santorini islandCentral Aegean sea

Santorini islandCentral Aegean sea

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The intersections between opposite cognitive systems andnow the network society in the context of a continualinflux of information activate new hybridity due to theheterogeneity involved. What will eventually survivedefines the prospect of architectural evolution andarchitectural heritage to ensuing generations. Greekarchitecture presents architectural elements distinct evenbetween neighboring settlements documentingrepresentations with an equivalent image between signand reality.

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The antithesis of the two cognitive systems in thecurrent post-global age, continuous to be evidentproducing simulacra beyond control whichdeconstruct every significance. In other words, thedifficulty of "place making under the rural diversity"is becoming more intense, as there is notable discordbetween “western linear” and “eastern concentric”logic and their coexistence leads to heterogeneousphenomena.

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It seems however that to a larger extent thanhistoric forms, it is the people who define place andthe consequent individual atmosphere, the peoplewho inhabit the place and perform a number ofactivities there.

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Simulacra are copies of things that no longer have anoriginal use, but they keep the traditional (rural) formpretending to be the result of the original needs thatcreated the form. In this sense, any traditionalreconstruction or representation can be included.

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The question that remains is about the noveldichotomy between the “users” of the instantcommunication (product of western rationalthinking) and the “receivers” of rural cultures,injecting information into contradictory contexts,once inaccessible, and transforming localindividualities in theme parks and finally wrappingwith some nostalgia the paradox “instant”amusement of contemporary tourism.

Tourism, by it self, as an experience expects stagedauthenticity, but also a “true” authenticity to exist.The last introduces rural traditional architecture asthe “true” authenticity that “wraps” the package.

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True authenticity in the rural environment doesnot include the exhaustive use of tourism

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Or is it just Tradition wrapped with Tourism!

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The questions:1. Is it, that rural architecture (with

its twofold nature: endogenousdynamic for development andtraditional representation)functions as antidote toinformation technology?

2. Is it a general schema ofhybridization of thought andaction?

3. Is it simply the wrapping of somenostalgia induced by inertia atcritical times, until a neworganization of the builtenvironment, currently invisible,arises?

The answers:1. It seems that the “users” of the

instant communicationtechnology (western logic) arethe best “users” (tourists) of therural environment (receivers:eastern logic).

2. As a result, there is a generalschema of current hybridizationof thought and action thatcreates spaces using anyavailable possibility (historicalpaths, instant uses, naturalenvironment, every day life) inorder to fulfill the current orderof tourism.

3. Probably, in the era ofglobalization, there is a fusionbetween the eastern and thewestern logic, which the builtenvironment is recording.

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Considering that

identity constitutes a social good according to the specific historical paths of eachregion, from where “the desired” collective memory “is selected and projected” ontothe built environment, in respect to the symbolism of the architectural heritage, andthat

simulacra is every architectural representation,

rural Greek architecture provides the “authentication” certificate to invite

tourism

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THANK YOU