In Between Bucuresti

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In Between Bucure~ti este un manifest tiimaduitor de Magie Urbana ce atluce inapoi dra­

gostea pentru ora~. Un manifest care reune~te contradiqii, dczlcagii farrnece ideologice,

oferii remcdii pcntru coabitare zilnica, indepii.rteazli. energiile negative, viscazii viitorul

intreband istoria recenta ~i spcculeaza prezentul imediat. prin vizite ~~ relevee la fata locu­

lui, prin axonometrii, prin scriere sau prin viu grai. In Between Bucure~ti indepiirteazii

dezavantajele ~i le transforma in ~vantaje, poveste~te despre locuri suspcndatc ~i despre

potenpal acolo unde totul e posibil ?i nimic nu e incii sigur. In Between Bucure~ti mai

oferii ~i remedii urbanistice pentru carenta de utopie, pentru teama de visare, pentru spor

in explorarea ora9ului ~i pentru incredere in viitor. Daca vii confruntati cu astfel de pro­

bleme nu ezita\i sa apelati Ia In Between Bucure~ti, deoarece problemele vise vor rezolva

~ide la distanta. GARANTAT.

In Between Bucurqti is a healing manifesto of Urban Magic that brings back the love for

the city. A manifesto which brings together contradictions, unties ideological charms, pro­

vides remedies for daily cohabitation, removes negative energies, dreams the future by ask­

ing the recent history and speculates on the immediate present through visits and on site

surveying, through axonometric projections, writings or by word of mouth. In Between

Bucurqti removes the disadvantages and turns tl1en1 into advantages, tells about suspended

places and about potential where everything is possible and nothing is sure yet. In Between

Bucurqti also provides urban remedies for the deficiency of utopia, for the fear of dreams,

for exploring the city and for confidence in the future. If you have such problems don't hesi ­

tate to contact In Between Bucure~ti. as problems will be resolved even from the distance,

GUARANTEED.

1. larna pe uli~ - Dupa demolare ~i inainte de construire a nins in Bucure~ti celmai mult

din ultimele 58 de ienti. Ziipada s-a ~ezat peste tot ora~ul, peste case ~i striizi, ~i peste

hilrtoapele, gropile ~i diir<1maturile din zona Buze~ti-Berzei, unde a acoperit ~i rotunjit pn­

tierul Diametralei, transformil.ndu-1 intr-un peisaj de ~es cu coline ~i case in zare. ln zona

,

Iibera dintre imobilele rJ.mase, intr-o atmosfera ca de ]a inceputurile lurnii, stratul de ziipa­

dti a inrcgistrat urme, treceri ~i tranzitii, unite intr-o retea efemerii de lcgiituri zilnice ce au

redescnat instantaneu ~~timid posibilit<itile unui earlier disp<lrut, dar ~i a! unuia prom is.

1. Winter trails - After demolition and before the construction, the heaviest snow in the

last 58 winters Jell over Bucharest. Snow settled over the whole city, over the houses and

streets, and over the potholes and debris from Buze~ti-Berzei area, where it covered and lev ­

eled the site works, transforming the area into a plain landscape with hills and houses in the

distance. Between the remaining buildings, in an atmosphere as if from the begining of the

world, snow recorded traces, crossings and transitions, joined in an ephemera/network of

daily links that redesigned instantly and shy the possibilities of a disappeared as well as of a

promised neighborhood

2. Dupa deal - Undeva In mijlocul Pietei Victoria, intr-a zonii inten:isii lraficului auto,

pardrii ma~inilor sau accesului pietonilor, in urma ninsorilor abundente din iarna 20l:l.,

s-au depozitat mari cantitati de ;o:iipada ridicatii de pe strii;o:ile or~ului. Plugurile primariei

au dal 2<ipada de pe striizi, care a fost apoi ridicata de buldozere ~i indrcata in basculante

ce au desdrcat-o in fata Guvernului. inainte sa se topea..~d sau sil. fie indrcate ~~trans ­

portate in afara ora~ului, mormanele de ziipadii s-au tramformat intr-un deal pcrimetral

inalt de trei-patru metri ce ascundea o depresiune centralii. Din lini~tca vaii interioare a

dealului, noaptea se vedea cerul.

:l. Beyond the hill- Somewhere in the middle of Victoria Square, in a restricted area for road

traffic, car parking or pedestrian access, following the heavy snowfall in the winter of 2012,

large amounts of snow have been deposited from the streets around the city. The City Hall's plows cleaned the streets of snow, which was then raised by bulldozers, loaded in trucks and

dumped in the square. Prior to melt or to be Waded and transported outside the city, piles of

snow turned into a hill perimeter of three to four meters high that hid a central depression.

From the tranquility of the valley inside the hill, one could see the night sky.

J. Bazar- De Ia Coloane Ia McDonald's e plin de oameni care ies de Ia metrou, a~lcaptii

autobuzul, iau taxiuL stau Ia fast-food, sprijinii motorul, vin de I~ ~i se due Ia ~coala, la

film, Ia bar, la band\., tree pe Ia magazine sau doar o ard aiurea. Mai ales in decembrie ~i

n martie, zona se umple brusc de tarabe, miisute pliante cu umbrcle, corturi dcschise ~i tanduri ~ubrede, ingnlmiidite toate unele in altele intr-un coridor ca intr-un obor, w1de

lad intri pe Ia un capiit trebuie sii mergi lncolonat pilllii.la celil.lalt ~i sti evaluezi involuntar

ot fclul de miirunti~uri, gablonturi, felicitiiri, maimutoi sau inimi gonflabile, acompaniat .e un wmzet de oameni griibi\i, vflnz<itori ~i claxoane.

·Bazaar- From rhe «columns» to the McDonald's, the space is full of people entering and

~mit~g out of the subway, waiting for the bu.s, taking taxis, standi11g in front of the fast food,

1owmg off their motorbikes, coming and going from school, from movies, bars or banks, ·opping by the shops or just hanging around. Especially in December and March, the area

suddenly filled up with stands, folding tables and umbrellas, tents and shaky stalls, all

i/ed into each other like a corridor in a market, where if you enter at one end you have to

>~e up to go to the other and you have to involuntary evaluate a/1 sorts of odds and ends,

inkets, cards, little monkeys or inflatable hearts, accompanied by rushing people, vendors 1d horns.

Circul din pare - fn 2011, terenul pe care se afla menajcria Circului de Stat ~i unde

~e~u Ia toaleta zilnid, Ia rcpetitii sau Ia masa animalele, a fost retrocedat fo~tilor propri ­

an care au cerul evacuarea, iar o parte din animale (felinele, lamele ~i caii) au fost mutate

mporar in zona 'fei -Toboc, de unde fac navela Ia spectacole ~i repelitii, Celelalte animale

: r~as cazate in clftdirea anexft, de unde cftteodatii elefantul este scos Ia plimbare in jurul

~.~lfll ~l spalat cu furtunul, pea lei. lntre timp, u.ooo mp din pare au fast dati pentru cinci

J m folosinta Circului ~i au fost imprejmuiti cu gard metalic, iar c!tcva camile de Caucaz

fo~t mutate in "tarcul nou. Luminile din pare se aprind seara, bilncile, alcile ~i co~urile de

DOl stau temporar fari utilitate, iar Ia cap:i.tul aleilor blocate de gardul metalic se adunii men.i sa vadii dmilele, totul inlr-o coabitare incerti.

Circus in park - In 2011, the hmd where the State Circus's menagerie used to be _ and

rere the animals went out for their daily walks or rehearsals- was reconveyed to the former

·ners, who requested the eviction, and part of the animals, like the felines, the lamas and

· horses were temporarily moved to Tei- Toboc area from where they commute to shows

i rehearsals. The other animals remained housed in the annex building, from where the

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elephant is sometimes taken for a walk around the building and washed with a hose in the

alleyway Meanwhile, 11,ooo square meters of the park were given for five years for the use of

The Circus and were surrounded by a metal fence; some Caucasus camels have already been

movrd there. Park lights are lit at night, benches, alleys and rubbish bins are temporarily

useless, and into the alleys blocked by metal fence people gather to see the camels _ all in a doubtful cohabitation.

~-Pergola_- La intersectia striizilor Maria Rosetti ~i Vasile Lascir, printre ma~inile parcate

mtr-un m1c scuar retras, se ridica o pergola din beton vopsit alb, ce imita chertiirile de

lemn ~i care acopera ~i semnalizeaza intrarea tntr-o fosta benzinil.rie ~i accesulla 0 toaleta

publidi subterana. Sunt mai multe prin ora~, dar acum nu mai functioneazii ~i au rlmas

doar ca ni~te umbrare, semnale, pergole sau poate intriiri intr-u lume subteranii, amplasate Ia interseqii de strii.zi.

5· Pergola- At the intersection of Maria Rosetti and Vasile Lascar streets, among tile parked

cars in a small recessed plaza, there is a white painted concrete pergola - imitating a wooden

structure- covering and signaling the access to a forma gas station and a public underground

t~ilet. There are sevr:ral of them around the city, but they don't work anymore, remaining only

like shades and SlgtiS, or entries into an underground world, located at street intersections.

6. Piata Pescarilor- Pfrnii la inceputul anilor 'So Strada Paleologu se oprea in Calea Mo~i ­lor, unde erau Cilteva cladiri cu cuf\i interioare in care se jucau copiii din earlier. lntr-o du­

pi-amiazii, circulatia s-a oprit, au apiirut mulli militieni ~i dintr-o ma~inii a cobor;lt cuplul

~eau~escu. To~ta lumea t:icea, urmli.rind gesturile ~i a5cultind indicatiile pe care le dadea

Elena, totul revenind la normal dupii plecarea lor. Dupa dteva siiptiim<lni insii, strada Pa­

leologu s-a unit cu strada Vasile Lascar ~i a traversat bulevardul Carol I, lii.s&nd pe colt un

Joe gol. Dupa 's9, locul a fost prins in disputa legislativ3. de nationalizare-retroccdare ~is-~ t~nsformat. ~cet in parc~re informala. ln fiecare vineri, zeci de pescari amatori se strang

pnnlrc illa.'jllllle parcate, i~i intmd plitun ~i masu"te cu undite, lansete, d..rligc ~i momeli,

intr-~ atmosfera relaxatii, intretinutli. cu pove~ti dcspre baltii ~i eel mai mare pe~te prins.

6. Frshermen Pluce - Up to the beginning of the 8os, Paleologu street intersected Galea

Mo~i/or street, where some buildings with inten·or courtyards used to stand and where kids

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from the neighborhood used to play. One afternoon, the traffic stopped, many militiamen

appeared, arJd the Ceaujescu. couple stepped from a car. Everyone was fJUiet, watching the

gestures and listening the information Elena was giving, everything returning to normal after

they were gone. After a few weeks, Paleologu street crossed the place where the houses used

to be, leaving an empty spot on the corner. After '89, the plau was caught in legal disputes

of 11ationalization-retrocession and turned slowly into an informal parking. Every Friday,

dozens of amateur fishermen gather among the parked cars, spread their blankets and coffee

tables with lines, rods, hooks and bait, in a relaxed atmosphere maintained with tales about

the ponds and the biggest fish caught.

7· Noul TNB- Cliitlirea noului Teatru Na"tional din Bucure~ti a fost construitii Ia inceputul

anilor '7o ~i modificata ~i extima in anii '8o dupii dorinta lui Nicolae Ceau~escu, drept

exemplc folosindu· se machete de fatade Ia scara t:t. ln spatiile nou create inlre fa\ada

vecbe ~i cea nouii, ~i-au gil.sit locul centre culturale, galerii de arta, baruri ~i cluburi. ln

2011 au inceput lucr<l.rile de revenire Ia forma veche a teatrului din anii ' 7 0, prin demolarea

exlinderii noi din anii 'So, cu evacuarea institu\iilor care funqionau in fil.~ia nou constru­

itii. Temporarii-dar-permanenta, clil.direa teatrului a~teapta acum noua forma, cea veche

din anii '7o, pil.nii c&od poate sc va reveni iar Ia cea noua din anii 'so sau chiar Ia una ~i

mai noua.

7- New TNB - The building of the new National Theater of Bucharest wru built in the early

7os, and modified and extended in the '8os following Ceaufescu's desire and using as ex­

amples 1:1 scale models of ja(:ades. With the passing of time, cultural centers, art galleries,

bars and clubs have found their places in the new spaces created between the old and the

new fa(:ade. In 20n work began for the restitution of the old form of the theater from the ';os

and for the demolition of the new extension of the '8os and the eviction of the institutions

operating in the newly built strip. Temporary-but-permanent, the building now wails for the

new shape, the old one form the '7os, until it will maybe return to the new one form the '8os,

or to an even newer one.

~. Pontonul- Ccntrul vechi a~tepta de mult renovarea. Dup~ ani de zile, pe Ia mijlocul

milor 2000 au inceput lucriirile Ia infrastructura stnlzilor, dar in timpul s<l.piiturilor s-au

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g:iisil vestigii arheologice ~i ~antierul s-a oprit. Pasardc ~i trotuare tcmporare din lemn au

fost amenajate pentru pietuni, iar duburile ~i barurile s-au extins peste gropile deschise

de la ~antiere cu platforme sus~inute pe picioare de lcmn. Str:i.zile din lipscanie au tlcvcnit

astfel, pentru o perioada de ci..o ci ani, ni~le rfturi cu pontoane de distractie din Joe in loc.

8. The Pontoon - The Old City Center was waiting for the renovation for a long time. Years

later, in the mid-2ooos, works began on road infrastructure, brll archaeological remains were

found ar1d the works stopped. Wooden temporary passuges and sidewlllks were built for the

pedestrians and the clubs and bars extended with wooden platforms over the open holes of

the work sites. For five years the streets in the area transformed into rivers, with pontoons

made for fun here and there.

9· Orii~elul din lac - Pe timpul iernii, in Pan:ul Moghioro~, pe fundul cimentat allacului in forma de rinichi, din anii '6o, se instaleazii od~elul copiilor. 1nv5.rtitoare, ma~ini bu~i­

toare, piasa de sarit, ferma ani male] or, tarabc cu dukiuri, tiribombc, tu~te coboaril. in lacul

golit de apii, iar Jocul se umple de lume. Astfel, pima Ia venirea primiiverii, sil.rbil.toarea

ocupii lacu] secat, iar bil.rcile ~~teaptii intoarse cu fundul in sus.

9· Fair in the lake- During winter, in Moghiorof park, the fair is set up on the cemented bot­

tom of the kideny-shaped lake of the '6os. Rotating machiness, crruhing cars, jumping nets,

farm animals, stalls with sweets, all climb down in the water drained lake and the place is

filled with people. Thus, until the coming of spring, the fun place descend5 into the dried -up

lake, while the boats are waiting turned upside down.

10. Parcarea Republidi- Dat in folo~intJ. tn 1916 ~i moderniz:at io 1933 dupii proiectullui

Horia Creanga, pe stadionul ANEF I ONEF I Principele Carol/ Republicii a jucat echipa

nationala de fotbal, a alergat Emil Zatopek, Iolanda Bala~ a batut de noua ori recordul

mondialla saritura tn inil.ltirn.e ~i a avut loc prima manifestatie a P.C.R. in 1944. fn anii 'So,

stadionul trebuia sa fie tramformat in eliportul Casei Poporului ~i a fost partial ingropat

in piimfmt. 1ntre timp, se pare cii s-a turnal o placii de bcton peste o padure de st!lpi, de ­

venind garajul Parlamentului. 0 parte din fa~ada initialii a riimas ind vizibilii, iar ma~inile

intra ~i ies tn fiecare zi prin vornitoriile fostului-stadion-na"tional-actuala-parcare.

10. Republic's Parking- Inaugurated in 1926 and modernized in 1933 after the project of

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architect Horia CreangJ, the ANEF I ONEF I Prince Carol I Romanian Republic Stadium

has seen the national soccer team playing, Emil Zatopek running, Iolanda Ba/a~ tumbling

nine world records at the height jump and the Romanian Communist Party parade taking

pUue for the first time in 1944. In the 'So it was supposed to be transformed into the heliport

of the House of the People and it was partially buried. ln the meantime a concrete slab has

been added onto a forest ofpillars, turning it into the garage of the Parliament. A section of

the facade remains visible and mr5 are going in and out each day through the former access

gates of the stadium.

11. Cei patru - Pentru prima data in ultimul secol ~i ceva, statuile de Ia Universitate au fost

mutate temporar, in :lOll, pe timpullucnl.rilor Ia parcajul subteran ~i au fost reamplasatc,

cu soclu cu tot, in Parcul Izvor, Ia c~piitul unei alei ce traverseazii parcul inspre intrarea

latcrala a Casei Poporului. In pares-au a~ezat intr-un loc nou, dar temporar, privindu­

se pentru prima data fata in fatii. lntr-o duminicii din mai 2012, cei patru ~i - au inceput

drumul inapoi, de-a lungul bulevardului Unirii, au lraversat Piap Unirii, ~i au luat-o pc bulevardul Bni.tianu pana au ajuns Ia Universitate, uncle au fost a~ezate pe amplasamente

doar un pic diferite fatJ't de cele vechi. 11, The Four- For the first time in the last century and a half, the statues from the University

were temporarily moved in 2011 during works on the underground parking and were relo­

cated in lzvor Park, at the end of an alley that crosses the park towards the side entrance of

the House of the People. In the park, they were placed in a new, but temporary place, looking

for the first lime face to face. One Sunday zn May 2012, The Four have started their way back

along Unirii Avenue, crossing Unirii Square, and going along Brdtianu Avenue until they

reached the University, where they were placed on sites very little different frori?. the old ones.

12. Zona de siguran\i- Consulatul SUA s-a mutat din septembrie 2011 in noul scdiu aflat

]a nord de Baneasa Mall, piiriisind fostul sediu din strada Bati~tei. Dupa mai bine de zece

luni, sistemele de securitate ale ambasadei nu au fost ind desfacute, iar regulilc impuse de

acestea sunt doar parl;ial suspendate. Astfel, pe strazile perimetrale, barierele auto au blo­

cat accesul pana in martie 2012, insii scmnele auto cu Drum lnfundat, Stop, Acces lnterzis,

jardinierele anti -teroriste, bolarzii de metal ~i bcton, rampele de acces, chio~curile de paW.,

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copertinele ~i panourile de semnalizare, toale au ramas pe Joe in a~teptarea unui verdict, in

timp cc locuJ stli. suspendat, larii sa fie nici trotuar, nici carosabil, nici parcare, nici pieto­

nal, nici scurt<'i.tura, nici maidan, nici incinHi. de sccurilate, ci toate Ia un loc.

12. Safe area - the USA Cottsulate has moved from September 2011 into the new location

in the urea north of Br:lneasa Mall, leaving the former headquarters from Bati~tei St. After

more thatl ten months, the security systems of the embassy haven't been dismantled and the

rules previously imposed are ju£1 partly suspended. Thus, on the side streets, tlze traffic bar­

riers have continued blocking the auto access until March 2012, but the street signs warning

Closed Road, Stop, No Access remain, along with the anti-terrorist pots, acces> ramps, me­

tallic pillars, guard's kiosks and info panels, keeping the place suspended and acting neither

as sidewalk, nor street or parking_ nor pedestrian area, nor shortcut, or security area, but

all together.

Proiectul ln Between Bucuretti este contributia lui Alex Axintc ~i Crisli Borcan

(studioBASAR) impreunii cu Sandu Milea Lucian (graftcii) Ia proiectul editorial Utopii

soft, coordonat de Atelier MASS in cadrul revistei Arltitext nr. 4 I 2012 (224).

The project In Between Bucurqti is tile contrib11tion of Alex Axinte and Cristi Borcan

(studioBA.SAR) together with Sandu Milea Lucian (graphic design) at the editorial project

Soft Utopias, coordinated by Atelier MASS, in the framework of Arhilext magazine issue

4/2012 (224).