Marjetica Potrč
Both cities, Pozzuoli in Italy and Guerrero Viejo in Mexico, watched the end of their time coming, and in both cases the form their end would take appeared quite predictable. The only sure thing about Pozzuoli was a slow disintegration; and the possibility of rising waters seemed inevitable in Guerrero Viejo. To be able to face the end of its time, and to envision it standing still, reminded me of the arrested time of the city of Tel Aviv. Every year, the city’s life stops for one minute when people halt their movement, wherever they are – in the streets, in the offices, at home – to remember the victims of the Holocaust. Nothing moves and the city stands still.
An Empty City: Attraction of a Built Disaster