Prologue: Before the Feast
Examining the intersections of historical significance, environmental conditions, adaptive reuse, and innovative technological practices are at the core of On the Butcher’s Block. Initially examining the text of Donna Haraway, the ideals of Making With provided a junction at which the strings of speculative practice and conceptual design were able to knot. Building off work of precedents, essays, and different media the final work evolved into a collection of speculative journals, images leading to an eventual real-life booklet of exploration. The East Des Moines Depot at 120 E 5th St in Des Moines, IA was built in 1909 and served as a train depot along the rail line through the 20’s. It outgrew its original program and was developed into a tomato storage unit. Its eventual abandonment signaled the end of its programmatic use being placed on a list to be demolished. A development project by the Des Moines Heritage Trust seeks to reinvigorate the dilapidated depot, and align its’ path to a new reception venue, and office space. Talks with BNIM, the architects on site, painted a picture of all the building once held, and contributed in the form of physical space, as well as memories. Thoughts of rejuvenation and material care/preservation became a forefront of thought in continuing the process. How does one respect the initial structure and site while questioning the facets that have become the norm in restoration and material use? In this proposal we seek to question these practices in the form of a knotting of robotics, preservation, and material.
