pop-up studio-X at shenzhen architecture biennale

pop-up studio-X at bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture 2013 (UABB)
image courtesy of pop-up studio-X
 

initiated in 2008 by the graduate school of architecture, planning and preservation at columbia university in the city of new york (GSAPP), studio-X is a global network of laboratories set in place for exploring the future of the built environment. with locations in the downtown cores of new york, beijing, amman, mumbai, rio de janeiro, istanbul, johannesburg and tokyo, it is a platform in which to engage in conversation and dialogue about the most urgent issues facing our shared world. the pop-up studio-X shenzhen is its newest off-shoot – a temporary location conceived for the bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture 2013 (UABB).

the pop-up space by ESKYIU located at the ‘value factory’ at the bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture 2013 (UABB)
image courtesy of pop-up studio-x shenzhen

the GSAPP has been active in china through studio-X beijing, which opened in 2009, along with other initiatives, such as the china megacities lab – produced in collaboration with columbia university’s global center also located  in the chinese capital. as the initiative strengthens its role as an active research center addressing key challenges including sustainability within a rapidly urbanizing china, the pop-up space at UAAB fosters alternative modes of thinking and sharing within the context of the pearl river delta. here, studio-X directors are sharing research materials that reflect upon the concept of ‘urban border’ across national and international spaces.

detail of the wall structure which is made up of stools
image © designboom

pop-up studio-X hosts an exhibition that has been designed by hong kong-studio ESKYIU with curatorial content led by chinese architect marisa yiu (founding partner, ESKYIU) and marina otero verzier (director, global network programming). conceived for the bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture (UABB) 2013, they have developed collaborative projects and free events such as lectures, workshops and exhibitions that foster a new form of discussion on the future of cities and explore the value of cultural production in global cities. visitors are invited to re-define the space, interface with collaborative tools both in workshop and experimental platforms.

view of the collaborative space
image © designboom

‘it is a challenge to build a global dialogue on the city. yet, with the backdrop of the value factory in shekou, pop-up studio-x shenzhen is positioned to directly engage with this urgency. we will learn from various global studio-x centers, examine issues of cross-border education, and collaborate with local partners such as asia art archive, parasite, ink society and the chinese university of hong kong. issues of chinese contemporary identity and the role of cultural preservation in the context of rapid development will be the core focus. it is all very exciting to bring together, for the first time, so many voices condensed into one location and space in the pearl river delta,’ says marisa yiu, curator of pop-up studio-X shenzhen.

this temporary exhibition will run until february 2014 throughout the shenzhen bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture, located at the ‘value factory’.

the stools which make up the wall are also used to host guests
images © designboom

columbia university dean, mark wigley lead a delegation from GSAPP consisting of daisuke hirose, director, tokyo lab; li hu, director, studio-X beijing; and pedro rivera, director, studio-x rio during the opening days of the biennale. the GSAPP has also developed a great number of activities in the context of the bi-city biennial under the direction of jeffrey johnson, co-academic director/curator of UABB and director of GSAPP’s china megacities lab. these events include the participation of GSAPP faculty members: phu hoang, adjunct assistant professor of architecture, planning and preservation; jeffrey inaba, director, c-lab; bernard tschumi, professor of architecture, planning and preservation; enrique walker, director, advanced architectural design program; among others.

‘it is a great honor to be invited by ole bouman, curator and creative director of the shenzhen bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture, and his team to have the first installment of the pop-up studio-x in shenzhen. despite its temporary nature, we hope it will leave a permanent legacy of experimentation and collaboration,‘ says mark wigley, dean of GSAPP. ‘once again, china is the great laboratory where new things happen.‘

image © designboom

images © designboom

marisa yiu, curator of pop-up studio-X shenzhen
image © designboom

li hu (director of studio-X beijing, marisa yiu (curator of pop-up studio-X shenzhen), dean mark wigley, pedro rivera (director of studio-X rio) and daisuke hirose (director of studio-X tokyo lab) with the studio-x shenzhen and beijing team members.
image courtesy of pop-up studio-X shenzhen

about the organizers

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columbia university graduate school of architecture, planning and preservation
mark wigley, dean
founded in 1881, the graduate school of architecture, planning and preservation at columbia university in the city new york city, also known simply as gsapp, is a vibrant hive of continuous activity energizing its longstanding world leadership role in the experimental, the academic and the global. the school confers masters degrees in architecture, advanced architectural design, architecture and urban design, urban planning, historic preservation, real estate development and critical, curatorial, and conceptual practices in architecture as well as a doctoral degrees in architecture and urban planning. all programs share a commitment to both professional training and research. the curriculum and philosophy stress the necessity of analyzing and challenging the underlying history, premises, and future directions of the design professions, even as students are prepared to become accomplished practitioners in their respective fields of specialization.

columbia global centers | east asia
joan kaufman, director
active in china and the region since 2009, columbia global centers | east asia is one of eight columbia global centers operating around the world. the center’s projects aim to engage the university with issues, ideas and counterparts in china and the region through collaborations across a number of fields, including sustainable development, urbanization, urban health and design and the future of cities, international relations and global governance, educational reform, social media, and public health.

studio-x global network initiative
studio-x is a global network of advanced research laboratories for exploring the future of cities launched in 2008 by mark wigley, dean of GSAPP. with studio-x locations in the historic hearts of beijing, istanbul, mumbai, new york, rio de janeiro and labs in amman and tokyo it is the first truly global network for real-time exchange of projects, people and ideas between regional leadership cities in which the best minds from columbia university can think together with the best minds in latin america, the middle east, africa, eastern europe and asia.

bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture (UABB)
the shenzhen bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture (UABB) embodies an open attitude, the spirit of innovation and the courage of constant exploration that all inherited from the history of establishing shenzhen special economic zone. the 2013 UABB is curated by team ole bouman and team li xiangning + jeffrey johnson. both teams work within the framework of the 5th UABB theme ‘urban border’ which is presented in two main venues in shekou. the 2013 UABB has been organized by shenzhen municipal government; co-organized by shenzhen public art center; supported by urban planning, land and resources commission of shenzhen municipality, culture, sports and tourism administration of shenzhen municipality, organizing committee office of shenzhen ‘city of design’, shenzhen nanshan district government, shenzhen media group, shenzhen press group and shenzhen university; and with special fund support by shenzhen’s cultural industry development fund.

interior of pop-up studio-x at the ‘value factory’
image courtesy of pop-up studio-x shenzhen

schedule of upcoming 2014 events at pop-up studio-x shenzhen

friday, january 17th
10:30 – 18:00 cross-border education workshop:
architectures of sharing studio-x forms a new kind of architecture of sharing as an international workshop, a space for real-time exchange of projects, people and ideas between regional leadership cities. what are the challenges and possibilities of this emerging way of thinking and sharing for a local context? case studies will include: cross-border education between hong kong-shenzhen; the recent mass protests on chinese identity; and mixed-use districts, creative clusters and the future of institutional collaborations. discussions will engage with local universities, columbia university students and faculty, and studio-x directors.

marisa yiu (curator, pop-up studio x shenzhen-hong kong; assistant professor of architecture, CUHK)
magu bueno (director, são paulo lab)
marina otero (director, global network programming)
tat lam and travis bunt (directors, urbanus hong kong & shenzhen)
faculty members and guests from the school of architecture, the chinese university of hong kong.

venue: pop-up studio-x shenzhen, the value factory, venue-a-chiwan road, shekou industrial zone, nanshan district, shenzhen.

saturday, february 22nd
10:30 – 18:00 networks: limits, locality and liminality
studio-x in collaboration with the value factory and the hong kong cultural consortium will expand and explore social, cultural and economic networks in the production and shaping of the future culture of cities. speakers and discussants will engage in dynamic dialogues and a series of panels to create a way to document contemporary thinking about the cultural production of a city in the context and future of the pearl river delta. the consortium includes: asia art archive, parasite, ink
society, hk arts festival, centre for architectural heritage research, hong kong architecture & urbanism archive and the school of architecture of the chinese university of hong kong.

venue: auditorium and pop-up studio-x shenzhen, the value factory, venue-achiwan road, shekou industrial zone, nanshan district, shenzhen.