Ecos de un mercado

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Abstract

Este artículo examina la identidad construida en Addis Merkato —el mercado central de Etiopía— como testamento de las posibilidades empeñadas en evitar la sobre-determinación. Esto dejó libre al mercado para que se reconfigure constantemente a lo largo de su historia de ochenta años. El contexto político, cultural y económico ha introducido múltiples intervenciones que han intentado limitar nuevas formas de ocupación, pero han fallado. Merkato ha absorbido agendas conflictivas por medio de la invención de astu­tas estrategias de diseño. Es un espacio que revela las dificultades de operar dentro de las restricciones del neoliberalismo. La belleza del mercado está simplemente enmarcada en su habilidad para transformar limi­taciones en oportunidades; actualmente se mantiene como una arquitectura de redes sólidas que continúa resistiendo tanto las fuerzas locales como las fuerzas globales de la limitación.


 


Abstract
This article examines the constructed identity of Addis Merkato – the central marketplace of Ethiopia – as a testament to the possibilities embedded in avoiding overdetermination. This has liberated the market to constantly reconfigure itself over its eighty-year history. The shifting political, cultural and economic contexts have introduced multiple interventions that have attempted but failed to limit new forms of occupation. Merkato has absorbed conflicting agendas via the invention of nimble design strategies. It is a space that reveals the difficulties of operating within the confines of neoliberalism. The beauty of the market is simply framed by its ability to translate constraints into opportunities. Today, the market remains an architecture of robust networks that continue to resist both local and global forces of limitation.

Article Details



Emanuel Admassu
Admassu, E. (2017). Ecos de un mercado. Materia Arquitectura, (14), 46–55. https://doi.org/10.56255/ma.v0i14.15

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