A building is an architectural object that only takes form in context. The interpretation of its’ history, significance, use and practicality is linked to conditions – climate, geographical conditions – and relations – inhabitants,… What if we, all of a sudden,  place this object in a different context? Will it be the same? What role will it play in the cityscape? Drinking its’ inspiration from archaeology methods, where understanding the context is essential to interpret a discovery and recreate our past, this idea is to apply this for our future- reinterpret the existing established relations among architectural objects, to create imaginary maps and alternative visions for future cities, allowing new narratives that challenge our perception of a city and promote new visions for its’ future.

This idea takes shape in an editorial project, deriving from research and collective workshops. From mapping abandoned places in a defined urban area and researching their stories – historical,geographical,human context- delving into its past lives, it proceeds to understanding their present: how do they relate, how are they evolving? Finally, the last step is to deconstruct and shuffle these relations, so that we can look over different lenses and imagine alternative scenarios for its’ future. All these scenarios may then be compiled, as a guideline for possible cities, or even impossible cities – imagined cities that are struggling to reinvent themselves.