Chengdu Biennale: Special Artistic Zone

Cities are more than concrete and highways. A lot of emerging Chinese cities are now facing the choice how to program their buildings. As part of our contribution to the Chengdu Biennale 2011 we organized an event on October 2 where we invited around 50 specialists from the cultural field in Chengdu. In a tea session, 8 groups of people discussed the concept of the Special Artistic Zone.

Every group tried to describe what are the ultimate conditions for a cultural life in an emerging Chinese megacity. Throughout the evening there were small statements, ideas and a lot of discussion. We’re now gathering all the ideas that were produced in the event.

Special Artistic Zone

During the Chengdu Biennale, the Go West Project will present the ‘Special Artistic Zone’, a one-night event investigating the conditions for a cultural life in emerging megacities. Go West brings together key persons from the cultural field of the megacity Chengdu, by organizing an outdoor tea session on 2 October. Specialists from eight different disciplines will discuss subjects related to cultural life, in a relaxed and private atmosphere.

The main question on eight different tables: What conditions do emerging cities need, to develop a flourishing and profound cultural life?

By documenting how the evening and its discussions progress, Go West will grasp new insights and perspectives about cultural life in the contemporary city. Governments, real estate developers and architects can use the answers of this experiment, when striving to turn their city into a cultural hotspot – the ambition of so many cities in China, and the world for that matter.

And after all, the best ideas are exchanged over tea…

Go West at Beijing International Book Fair

The first sneak preview of our book How the City Moved to Mr Sun – China’s New Megacities will be held at the 2011 Beijing International Book Fair. Our book is part of an exhibition of Dutch books on art, architecture and design, in the Dutch Pavilion at the Book Fair. The 120+ books on display show the oeuvre of renowned artists, designers and architects from the Netherlands, and present the best of Dutch book design.

On September 4, 16h, we participate in the panel ‘Blue eyes looking at China’ in Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in 798, Beijing. In this round table discussion, architecture critic Zhou Rong interviews three Dutch authors of recently published books about their experiences as architects and researchers in China.

In the past few years, many Western architects and urban planners have made an attempt to become involved in projects in China – with varying results. How do Western designers experience the tempestuous developments that are now taking place in China? What can they contribute to Chinese building practice? And what can the West learn from the Chinese approach?

With Zhou Rong, John van de Water (You Can’t Change China, China Changes You, 010 Publishers),Daan Roggeveen (with Michiel Hulshof: How the City Moved to Mr Sun – China’s New Megacities, SUN Publishers) and Harry den Hartog (Shanghai New Towns. Searching for community and identity in a sprawling metropolis, 010 Publishers).

Time: September 4, 4:00 pm
Venue: Ullens Center for Contemporary Art
798 Art District, No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China 100015
RSVP, admission free.

The lecture and the exhibition are made possible with the support of Netherlands Foundation for Visual
Arts, Design and Architecture (FBKVB), NAi, SUN and 010.

Exploding China: Chinese Cities in Amsterdam City Theatre

On September 13, the City Theatre of Amsterdam will host the program Exploding China – China’s New Megacities on unknown Chinese megacities like Wuhan, Shijiazhuang and Chongqing. These cities are transforming at breakneck pace into the big brothers and sisters of global cities like Rio de Janeiro, London and Moscow. Here, China is constructing the biggest urban society the world has ever seen.

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Chengdu Biennale trip

Christoph Kapeller (USC), Paul Tang, Liu Yuyang (Biennale), Vivian Song (Go West) visit Dongcun village

This fall, Go West will participate in the Chengdu Biennale, as part of the research program of this years Biennale. Our contribution will investigate cultural life in Chinese cities, both in an exhibition, and in an event. Last week we made a trip to Chengdu as part of the preparation; we visited potential venues, talked with people in the cultural field and participated in a two day conference with field trips, organized by the Biennale.

Daan and Vivian lecture at Chengdu Architecture department

Dinner with curator Xu Sheng (Re-C Gallery), Zou Peng and Zhou Weijia (Chengdu Gongbo Culture Communication Group)

Finissage Chinese Triptych: a movie night

This is the last week you can come and visit our exhibition at Casla, Almere. This Wednesday, June 15 Casla and INTI organize a finissage  with a movie night where they show the documentary Urbanisation in China: happiness is seen everywhere. More information at the website of INTI.

Booklet with taxi trips

In the exhibition 100 Days of Stories taxi drivers from all over China came to Shenzhen with their taxi. Along the way, they photographed their trips, leading to 6 intriguing photo series about the vast heart of China. We put together an excerpt of these photo series in an small booklet, creating a cross section of the country. Some more impressions here:

Calling London

Beijing/London based photography duo WassinkLundgren made a beautiful photo series about our red phone in the London exhibition ‘About a Minute’.

photography: WassinkLundgren

Go West in seminar: “Design for Daily Life”, 17/9, Shanghai

(FLTR: Bert de Muynck / Pan Jianfeng / Daan Roggeveen / Wiki Somers)

Go West participated in the Dutch Design Dialogue seminar: “Design for Daily Life” on Friday 17 September at the Dutch Design Workspace in Shanghai. Please find the outline of the seminar below:

13:30 > Dutch Design Dialogue seminar: “Design for Daily Life” (RSVP only: limited seats available!)

DDFA cordially invites you to take part in the Design Dialogue: Design for Daily Life

During the Design Dialogue seminar Dutch and Chinese designers will present work and discuss the notion of ‘Design for Daily Life?. The seminar consists out of three sessions of two short presentations, one by a Dutch, one by a Chinese designer, each time followed by a discussion. The seminar is set-up as a ?research by debate? session questioning what comprises quality of life, today and in the future. Is daily life about the mass objects we use, buy and produce? And how do product designers, architects, graphic designers and artists respond with these questions?

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