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July 29, 2016

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Project uses art, hands-on activities to ponder big questions

THIS September will mark the start of the Shanghai Project, a 10-month exploration of mankind’s future through a series of events, exhibitions, lectures and activities.

Organized by the Shanghai Himalayas Museum, the project focuses on the theme of “Envision 2116.” The idea of this theme is to spark consideration of life a century from now. Apart from the venue of its organizer, events will also be held at the Power Station of Art, Rockbund Art Museum, the K11 Museum, the Bund Art Fair, Photo Shanghai, and many other local cultural and arts spaces across the city.

The questions raised by this project are meant to be philosophically challenging, but participating artists, writers, scientists and architects have been asked to present their visions of the future in fun, novel ways.

For example, “Ku KKA KA KKA” from Brazilian sculptor and installation artist Cildo Meireles, explores the ecological possibilities of the future by juxtaposing the organic and the plastic. Visitors are presented with two identical transparent greenhouses, both filled with flowers and excrement. One room has the real flower and plastic excrement, while the other has the opposite combination.

Visitors can choose to enter one of the two greenhouses and the doors will be closed to provide them with a multi-sensory experience.

“By nature, the Shanghai Project is not an artistic biennial,” Lee Yongwoo, director of Shanghai Himalayas Museum and an artistic director of the project, explains to Shanghai Daily. “We focus on public participation first, and that’s one of the major differences compared with events like biennials or art exhibitions.

“It is a kind of platform of big questions about the next 100 years of the human race. It is a hybridized research, cultural and artistic festival.”

Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of Serpentine Galleries London, is the other artistic director of Shanghai Project.

Lee adds that the theme explains the purpose — to envision the future, to explore what may happen, scientifically, philosophically, socially and politically in a way “that allows public audiences to relate, communicate and act in response to these activities, questions and researches.”

Nature meets architecture

Lee gave the example of the Envision Pavilion, the symbolic structure at the center of the project. It is currently being built in front of the museum and will remain there until next July.

The temporary structure, made entirely of scaffolding, will be painted white, decorated with living trees, and made to resemble a chain of mountains. It will be 76 meters long and 21 meters high at its tallest point, creating an open, waterproof and transparent space equipped with solar panels for multiple uses.

The structure will contain a zigzaging path that will allow visitors to climb up to 15 meters high, and enjoy a futuristic, architectural and aesthetic experience.

“When we think of pavilions, we think of permanent architecture, but this is a temporary structure,” Lee explains. “It might not be an answer, but at least a suggestion of the future of architecture and space. We are not going to colonize the land. In the future, it is important to think about how we can make temporary use of the land, and later return it to the nature as it is.”

The mastermind behind this intricate construction is Japan’s Sou Fujimoto, regarded by many as one of Asia’s most talented young architects. Many of Fujimoto’s designs draw inspiration from nature, and he designed a similar matrix structure for Serpentine Gallery in 2013.

The contemporary art gallery has an annual project commissioning a temporary pavilion, and Fujimoto was the youngest architect to be invited.

“It is a really fundamental question how architecture is different from nature, or how architecture could be part of nature, or how they could be merged, what are the boundaries between nature and artificial things,” the architect said of his design philosophy in an early interview.

The pavilion, with a floor space of 670 square meters, will be used for the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Project and many lectures that will follow.

The Shanghai Project will be divided into two phases. Phase One, starting September 4, will be heavy on audience participation and feature all kinds of activities over the course of 10 months. Phase Two, starting in April 2017, will contain exhibitions over 100 days until the end of July.

“Seed Planet,” designed by Chinese architect Liu Yi, is another audience-oriented project in Phase One. Located in Century Park, the temporary circular architectural space is designed specifically for children.

“It’s not an architecture project, but a futuristic project for children,” Lee explains.

“Children are our future. It is important to create a fun place for them, where they can share, have discussions and bring their families.”

The temporary structure will be removed after 70 days, during which various activities will be organized at the space. There will also be facilities in English and other languages to help foreign children and their families join the events.

Temporary event spaces are also built for grown-ups at the “Small Is Beautiful” project by Chinese artist Yu Ting and his studio Wutopia Lab. The project exhibits small and multifunctional spaces that have been transformed from previously abandoned areas.

“We have been very busy in making buildings, but not that diligent about keeping existing spaces vivid and lively,” Lee says. “So Yu Ting makes a good point by turning abandoned spaces into cultural arenas.”

These spaces, only about 10 square meters, are located in the most prosperous areas of downtown Shanghai. They were deserted and neglected until the artist sought them out, renovated them, and started organizing lectures, discussions, exhibitions and other events there.

Lee adds that many events and activities are still being discussed. A more complete program schedule is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

“We’re really emphasizing community participation, and hope visitors can both come enjoy the activities and return home pondering some big questions,” he says.




 

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