Nonument is hidden, abandoned, unwanted or otherwise forgotten monuments, architecture & spaces

Changes in political and social structures in the 20th century have inherently changed the way built spaces of the era are perceived today. These changes call for a different approach to evaluating, mapping, archiving and preserving architectures, public spaces and monuments, built in the 20th century.

From architecture as a witness of traumatic events to infrastructural projects that have lost their function, from decaying monuments that have lost their (original) meaning to utopian structures and forgotten public spaces – these built spaces carry symbolic value within their narrative, but are not recognised as monuments.The term Nonument describes architectures, public spaces and monuments that have undergone a process of transformation within which they have acquired a new meaning. Nonuments are hidden, abandoned, unwanted or otherwise forgotten built spaces, which used to have a strong symbolic value, and have the potential to be repurposed, reclaimed and reused.

From architecture as a witness of traumatic events to infrastructural projects that have lost their function, from decaying monuments that have lost their (original) meaning to utopian structures and forgotten public spaces – these built spaces carry symbolic value within their narrative, but are not recognised as monuments.The term Nonument describes architectures, public spaces and monuments that have undergone a process of transformation within which they have acquired a new meaning. Nonuments are hidden, abandoned, unwanted or otherwise forgotten built spaces, which used to have a strong symbolic value, and have the potential to be repurposed, reclaimed and reused.

Nonuments include 20th Century:

• Arhitectural ruins that have transformed into monuments or public spaces
• Monuments or architecture that have lost their (original) meaning
• Forgotten public spaces that have been used for other purposes
• Decaying monuments
• Infrastructural projects that have lost their original function
• Utopian structures & unfinished projects

MAPS – Mapping & Archiving Public Spaces, is a project devoted to a deeper understanding of architecture, public spaces and monuments of the 20th century. It deals with spaces that have gone through a process of transformation within which they have acquired a new meaning.

MAPS builds a digital landscape with in-depth research on Nonuments, including 3D scans and oral histories, collected within the community.MAPS develops an interdisciplinary methodology for preserving Nonuments and builds open-source tools for community engagement in the inclusive online database and map.

MAPS is a cooperation project, partly funded by Creative Europe. It joins partners from Slovenia, Bulgaria, Austria, Serbia, Cyprus and Czech Republic.