Junkspace [Ship] of Theseus

"The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned from Crete had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their places, in so much that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same."

— Plutarch, Theseus

 
The theme of "Identity" is a philosophical battle we all face at some point in our lives, not just within ourselves, but dissecting our surrounds to the point that they make sense to us. Often times we come to an internal understanding of someone or something, and at a later time discover that that someone/something has changed, either the subject or ourselves. We pigeonhole these findings into a simple concept that we can accept and apply to our lives, but when we come to realize the concept has evolved we come to terms with the inevitable factors of time and age. A demon that creeps in our shadows, that leaches on to us and lingers ever so quietly at our heels. It is when we face this demon that we unveil the paradox between perception and reality (or at least our new perception of reality).

In the writing of "Junkspace," Rem Koolhaas describes junkspace as many things, but he seems to focus on how it is a tragedy that this space is in a constant cycle of deterioration and re-purposing. He antagonizes humanity for its ability to make use out of a less efficient, pre-existing situation. In my opinion this is just another architect expressing their anger that the user made changes to a thoroughly ordained design. God forbid the client has needs that were unforeseeable at the inception of the original space. One example that is heavily discussed over the topic of contemporary alterations in today’s society is the American shopping mall. A micro-city: home to hundreds of retailers and shoppers, shopping in shops. As shopping malls flourish in wealth, or crinkle to failure, they adapt to their needs. Stores relocate, repurpose, and renovate at an annual rate. The interior can be replaced entirely yet the concept of the “shopping mall” has not changed. Society makes alterations as they become necessary to the space.

In the example of the Ship of Theseus, Koolhaas belongs to the group of philosophers that believe the ship is not the same ship as before. He would say the original ship was the pure idea and all alterations made were all “junkspace” modifications. In a sense, he is not wrong, but is he right to de-glorify the resilience of our contemporary civilization and it’s ingenuity and adaptive alternating usage? At the end of the day, the ship is still a ship that functions as it was intended. The specifics and details may have altered in time and age, but its service to society has improved (or at the very least remained constant (hopefully)).