Useful leftovers: Practices of revitalization towards the social production of heaps

Abstract

The landscape of Upper Silesia is currently undergoing significant changes. Glass office buildings replace smelter chimneys and mine shafts. The heaps, which are assigned ambivalent meanings, are transformed by revitalization and reclamation practices into recreation areas and lawns.

Based on specific examples of such places in Upper Silesia, I would like to analyze the revitalization activities undertaken by municipal authorities and institutions, including dumps. The heaps on which I conducted my research are at various stages of transformation — from overgrown areas beyond the attention of the city authorities, through transformed places, to spaces where the revitalization process has been completed.

In this article, I will pose the question of how revitalization processes affect this wealth created in natural processes (K. Czekaj, K. Lynch) through the analysis of visual codes (using the tools proposed by J. Zimpel and W. Maćków), applied participatory activities (M. Missen), moral technology (B. Latour), and history writing (J. Urry).