Ghost Stories: The Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture
What is The Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture?
Elizabeth Fisher argues that, rather than hunting tools, the first cultural device of humans was probably a carrier bag, which let them transport the vegetables they gathered.(1) A weapon-wielding man, however, is apparently a more captivating image to depict on the walls of a cave than a food-carrying scene.
Ursula K. Le Guin adapted this theory to fiction and managed to tell gripping stories in which unheroic characters make their way through life with all its failures and conflicts.(2)
The Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture applies Le Guin’s theory to architectural practice. Architecture requires a fundamental change in the age of crisis. However, whereas Le Guin’s dream finally comes true – those who collect oats into their carrier bags appear on the cave walls instead of those who hunt mammoths with their spears – as architects, can we tolerate such radical change in the images we have inherited, our ossified perceptions of beauty and functionality? What if we listen to and understand the stories of abandoned buildings, rather than focusing on more heroic, successful examples?
What is this exhibition about?
This exhibition is about transforming existing structures. It displays the outcome of a collaborative body of research gathered from an open call for abandoned buildings across Türkiye. It also demonstrates how our theory resonates with contemporary architectural practice.
Why is this subject relevant to the Pavilion of Türkiye?
Since construction in Türkiye is triggered by economic growth rather than spatial needs, we have a huge variety of unused buildings, from hospitals to airports. As we were writing this text, two earthquakes, magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6, struck South-eastern Türkiye, causing massive damage. In a country with an enormous building stock that has to be reinforced to resist earthquakes – since it is not possible to rebuild them all – we need to find ways to transform the existing and introduce novel tools and methods to nurture our collective dreams and discussions.
How do you respond to the curatorial statement of Lesley Lokko? **
As Lesley Lokko puts it, “Hope is a powerful currency”. Even in the most devastating times, we need ideas that will keep hope alive. Here, abandoned buildings, as a resource and as the laboratory of the future, new tools of transformation, and theory come together to form a hopeful exhibition.
(1) Fisher, E., “The Carrier Bag Theory of Evolution”, Woman’s Creation – Sexual Evolution and the Shaping of Society, Anchor Press, 1979.
(2) Le Guin, U., The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, 1986.
**CREDITS
Curators: Sevince Bayrak, Oral Göktaş
Project Team: Aysima Akın, Kevser Reyyan Doğan, Merve Akdoğan
Research Team: Mehmet Taylan Tosun, Doğu Tonkur
Research Assistants: Berke Şevketoğlu, Hatice Bahar Çoklar, Duygu Saygı
Exhibition Design: SO? Architecture and Ideas
Graphic Design: Esen Karol
Commissioner: Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV)
