The first phase of the domination of the economy over social life brought into the definition
of all human realization the obvious degradation of being into having. - Guy Debord
An urban space is in constant evolution and not only, history reminds us of what has been drawn by our predecessors, but it also influences our way of perceiving our use of a city. Making use of a sidewalk, a meadow or a commercial street is not undertaken in the same manner by all citizens. In that way, how a space is manufactured, moved, changed and shaped is not a neutral activity. A skyscraper creates lines and dots on a horizon as much as a bridge creates pervasive lines on a seashore. The way we walk and run in a pathway surrounded by trees will not give the same air nor sensation as moving in an urban, concrete street.
Suvilahti has remained a mixed space for decades. It succeeds in balancing between a
combination of commercial events such as Tuska or Flow festival and non-commercial
happenings such as the skate park and other underground events. But Suvilahti does more than that. It is one of the last spaces close to the city centre that is accessible to all and not submitted to profit and market logic. It mingles cultures, enlightens human interaction and brings to life a space that has been “forgotten” by public authorities. The space is used freely in opposition to a will to control. There are no business plans, no pitching on how to scale up the area. It is bound by the social contract that ties up our society together. The area was a commercial and profitable space that was abandoned in preference of other projects further away. Hence, if you free-up a space from authorities' planning, you can create a hub of life that goes beyond the logic of any capitalist system that exists. Many generations have stepped on the concrete of Suvilahti, creating a space that looks like them. But the perception of a space depends on what is at stake on the use of it. Its attraction for cultural events and underground or independent happenings gathered people in a need of self-resemblance.
Since hearing about the redevelopment of the Suvilahti area, Adam Monaghan has been
picturing the changes for three years. Not only do the photographs depict a certain way of life but they show how another way of using a city can be made if urban planners would prioritize social life over business thinking.
In the name of technological progress and so-called economic opportunities, Helsinki
destroys one of the last places of self-governing and a hub for life enlightenment. A space that is under public supervision is too frightening and the trust in self-reliance is not a good thing for authorities that prefer reliable and obedient people to do what they are told to do. At the end of the line, we need a human approach to space and being. And that should be a way of being that values its humanistic dimension over economical destruction.
Until when will money rule over public and social interest?
Clément Beraud
All images © Adam Monaghan 2023
Exhibition views from Södervik gallery -Helsinki