Rotor trasforms gravel pits in Ghent into exhibition spaces

Image courtesy Rotor

Grindbakken – Dok Noord 7, Ghent, Belgium  (*) A project by Rotor collective

Introduction – by Inexhibit
We deem this project by Belgian collective Rotor of particular significance due to its being part of a larger urban renewal process of an area in Ghent that has lost both its original functionality and its memory.
Rotor operated like an “archaeologist of the contemporary”, working on a structure undergoing change through subtle yet powerful unveiling interventions: rust-red frames, a scar-like joint evoking the concrete pouring stages on a wall, lichen prints underlining those gravel piles that once were main features of this landscape.

Grindbakken – Text by Rotor

Introduction
A master plan has been designed for the docks of Ghent. Some buildings have to disappear while concrete will be poured somewhere else, waterside dwellers will meet new neighbors and yesterday’s practices will make way for current activities.
Following this plan, the concrete structure of the Grindbakken – used in the past to transfer gravel and sand between ships and trucks – was about to be transformed into a multi-purpose area accessible to the public, supplied with water and electricity and painted white as an empty canvas for future activities.
When we were asked to present a first intervention in this space, we chose to interfere in this painting process. We selected and documented specific areas of interest, and 36 frames were built on-site to protect these areas during the cleaning and painting.

Images courtesy Rotor

Pigmentation
No one painted this frame; the red color came about another way. As a rule, these depots were only used to store gravel and sand. But they were once also used in an emergency to stock iron ore. The brief presence of this substance left a bright red color in some of the depots.
But this still only explains one of the many shades visible on this concrete wall.

Images courtesy Rotor

Construction joint
A seam runs across the entire wall. The pouring of the concrete for this wall happened in two stages: the first part was set or even partially hardened before the rest of the formwork was filled.
The surface above the construction joint is in a worse condition and contains more gravel pockets: it seems the second pouring was of lesser quality.

Photo by Eric Mairiaux – Image courtesy Rotor

Heaps of materials
The gravel depots were designed for bulk transport logistics: materials were stocked in heaps. The biological growth patterns here reveal the presence of such heaps. Since the diameter of the white lichens on this wall grew at a rate of roughly 3 mm per year and since the largest instances measure 5 cm, it can be estimated that the heaps were here for 15 years.

Image Courtesy Rotor

(*) Note that Grindbakken is not a temporary project, but it remains open to the public not being protected in any way so that means that the people can do whatever they want from the place. In the last months, we have heard about several projects happening there: student projects, photo sessions, art projects, and today it is still possible to see the Grindbakken intervention. (Rotor – February 2014)