Vicissitude of Vision, an architectural dialogue through time and space

Shanghai, China, 2020-10-30 - 

exhibition

Co-organized by the Sino-Europe Architectural Media Center (SEAMC) and Sino-Germany Sustainable Urbanism and Architecture Association, the Inaugural Sino-Europe Invitational Architectural Exhibition 2020-2021 will open at the Roca Gallery in Shanghai on October 31, 2020, and will be free to the general public starting from November 1 to November 30 by reservation.  The organizers plan to bring the exhibition to the Le Corbusier Gallery at the Weissenhof Estate in Stuttgart, Germany in 2021.  

China and Europe each have their own regional characteristics, cultural identities, and developmental processes. A great chasm exists between the two historical linages, yet, they had never ceased to interact. Through historical and social critiques against the educational, technical, intellectual as well as ethical establishments, European architects of the past generations had influenced and changed the course of architecture and urbanism in a deeply profound way. 

Fast forward to the last 40 years, what China has faced and witnessed in terms of its opportunities and challenges in urban development, will surely present even greater changes to the urbanism and architecture of the future. In such a time of great change and uncertainty, Sino-Europe Architecture Media Center has the ambition to transcend the thought process that places emphasis on identity, politics, and differences, and to create a valuable and professional opportunity to put the contemporary architectural practice of Chinese and European architects on the same stage. 

Based on two geographic regions—China and Europe—both possessing extended histories and sophisticated architectural cultures, by combing through the works and words of architects from the two regions, the Inaugural Sino-Europe Invitational Architectural Exhibition hopes to convey diverse, complex, sustainable, and thought-provoking architectural practices and positions.

Curated by renowned Shanghai-based architect-curator-urbanist Mr. Yuyang Liu, the goal of the Exhibition - in light of the global pandemic, with geopolitical, economic, and climate uncertainty - is to bring together 16 Chinese studios and 8 European studios to share their visions and works, and to establish common grounds by fostering mutual dialogues. 

Forming a cross-national, cross-scale, and cross-dimensional set of “architectural dialogues”, works and words to be exhibited will center around the main theme—Vicissitude of Vision—and three underlying aspects: History, Moment, and Future. 

Co-chaired by Mr. Johannes Kreissig, Chairman of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (German Sustainable Building Association), and Prof. Xin Ran, Dean of School of Design, Shanghai Jiaotong University, a panel of distinguished scholars from both Europe and China have been invited to serve on the Experts Committee, further providing critical viewpoints and comments on the exhibition, as well as to select the Sino-Europe Architecture Award winners.  

"The value in architecture, as I see it, has always come from its response to life’s consolation and hope."

— Chief Curator, Yuyang Liu

In this unique architectural exhibition that links China with Europe, how shall one re-think the ontology, technique, and culture of architecture?  And what will the invited architects bring about their responses and presentations?  With the timely exhibition theme and the impressive list of participants, there is reason to believe that works as well as ideas to be presented will be worthy of the efforts and surpass all expectations.

Exhibition Theme: Vicissitude of Vision

Time: October 31st October to November 30th, 2020

31/10: Invited guests only;

01/11-30/11: Open to the public;

08/11 & 15/11 & 22/11 & 29/11: Closed on Sunday

Location:

Roca Shanghai Gallery (No.396, North Caoxi Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai)

Hosts:

Sino-Germany Sustainable Urbanism and Architecture Association e.V. (SGSUAA)

Sino-Europe Architecture Media Center (SEAMC)

Curator: Yuyang Liu

Supporters:

Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart City Hall

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB)

China Green Building Council German Branch

School of Design, Shanghai Jiaotong University

Royal Institute of British Architects

American Institute of Architects

AN EXTITUTE

designverse

Organizers:

Sino-Europe Architecture Media Center (Shanghai)

Shanghai Yu Pu Culture Communication Co. LTD

About SEAMC, SGSUAA, DGNB (organizers):

SEAMC, short of Sino-Europe Architecture Media Center, is an international cultural organization jointly initiated by SGSUAA (Sino-German Sustainable Urbanism and Architecture Association e.V.), DGNB(Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen), CGBC(China Green Building Council), Landsea.

The center was directly subordinated to SGSUAA, Sino-Germany Sustainable Urbanization, and Architecture Association. In the context of global cooperation and sustainable development, the center has long been committed to bilateral cultural exchanges and cooperation, especially in the fields of architecture, design, art, culture, and publishing. At the same time, the center will provide a communication platform for more talented new thinkers and young people around the world, and provide them with high-quality international resources and opportunities.

Contents included: academic research, media, and publication, International communication, contemporary group. We hope this exhibition to build a connection between contemporary China and Europe.

SGSUAA, short of Sino-Germany Sustainable Urbanization and Architecture Association, founded in Stuttgart Germany in 2014, aims at providing a communication platform for Sino-Germany suitable architecture to combine the theories, methods, and experience with national conditions and to provide references for environmental establishment and development. The association members come from various majors, including architecture, civil engineering, urban planning, landscape designing, construction equipment, energetic environment, and so on.

DGNB, the German Sustainable Building Council was founded in 2007 by 16 initiators from a variety of specialist backgrounds in the construction and property industry who wanted to do more to promote sustainable architecture in the future.

Web: https://www.dgnb.de/en/

About the curator:

Yuyang Liu

Founder and Principal of Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects

RIBA Chartered Member

Member of the Shanghai Architectural Society Academic Committee

Design studio advisor for a special program, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, Master in Architecture 1997

UC San Diego, B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning 1992

Born in Taiwan and educated in the U.S., Mr. Liu researched with Rem Koolhaas and co-authored Great Leap Forward in 2001, a seminal work on the urbanization of China's Pearl River Delta.  Having held a number of professional and academic positions in the U.S. and Hong Kong, Mr. Liu established his Shanghai-based Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects in 2007.  Mr. Liu's notable research-based projects with the public interest and forward-thinking include Shanghai Contemporary Museum of Art (MoCA), Cidi Memo iTown in Beijing, Shanghai Minsheng Wharf Waterfront Landscape and Reconnection, and Shanghai Yangpu Waterfront Landscape and Connecting Infrastructure in Shanghai.

Web: http://www.alya.cn/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Atelier-Liu-Yuyang-Architects-1411788865711408/

Instagram: atelierliuyuyangarchitects

About experts and special commentator:

Experts:

Johannes Kreissig

Chairman of the Expert Committee

Chief Executive Officer of DGNB GmbH

Yuyang Liu

Chief Curator

Principal at Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects

Xin Ruan

Chair of the Jury

Dean at School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Guangqi Chair Professor of Architecture

Federico Bucci

Professor at Politecnico di Milano

Raoul Bunschoten

Professor at the TU Berlin

Liane Lefaivre

Chair of History and Theory of Architecture, University of Applied Arts Vienna (Retired)

Lu Feng

The principle at Wuyang Architecture

Andong Lu

Professor, Head of Department, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University

Director, Univ. of Cambridge – Nanjing Univ. Research Centre on Architecture & Urbanism

Kai Wang

Associate Professor at College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

Academic Advisor of SEAMC

Special Commentator:

Alexander Tzonis

Professor at Tsinghua University

Professor emeritus at Delft University of Technology

About exhibitors:

China

Atelier Untitled Architects/ Hao Wang

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/capE-t8BmDE5Sixt7LTyqg

Atelier XÜK/ Kenan Liu, Xu Zhang

http://www.atelier-xuk.com.cn/

Atelier Z+/ Bin Zhang, Wei Zhou

http://www.atelierzplus.com/index.html

CUHK+UNITINNO/ Jingxiang Zhu

https://www.unitinno.com/

DC ALLIANCE · c+d Design Research Center/ Yi Dong

http://www.dccd.com.cn/

gad · line+ studio/ Fanhao Meng, Peidong Zhu

http://www.lineplus.studio/index.html

genarchitects / Beilei Fan, Rui Kong, Zhe Xue

http://www.genarchitects.cn/

iArchitectstudio/ Jiawei Chen

http://www.iarchitectstudio.com/

LUO studio/ Yujie Luo

http://www.luostudio.cn/

MAT Office / Kangshuo Tang, Miao Zhang

http://www.matoffice.com/

O-office Architects / Jianxiang He, Ying Jiang

http://www.o-officearch.com/main.asp

Original Design Studio, TJAD/ Ming Zhang, Zi Zhang

https://www.archdaily.com/office/tjad-original-design-studio?ad_name=project-specs&ad_medium=single

RSAA/Büro Ziyu Zhuang/ Ziyu Zhuang

http://rs-aa.cn/

SUP Atelier of THAD/ Yehao Song, Jingfen Sun, Xiaojuan Chen, Dan Xie

https://www.supatelier.com/

Tanghua Architect & Associates / Hua Tang

http://tanghuaarchitects.com/

Temp Architects / Fangji Wang, Xiao Xiao, Xiao Dong

http://www.temp-arch.com/

Europe

Baumschlager Eberle Architekten / Dietmar Eberle, Beisi Jia

https://www.baumschlager-eberle.com/ 

Christ & Gantenbein / Christoph Gantenbein, Emanuel Christ

https://www.christgantenbein.com/

2Portzamparc /  Christian de Portzamparc

https://www.christiandeportzamparc.com/en/

David Chipperfield Architects / David Chipperfield, Libin Chen

https://davidchipperfield.com/

Miralles Tagliabue EMBT / Benedetta Tagliabue

http://www.mirallestagliabue.com/

MVRDV / Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries

https://www.mvrdv.nl/

Snøhetta / Robert Greenwood

https://snohetta.com/

Studio Moscatelli / Matteo Moscatelli, Stefano Moscatelli

https://www.studiomoscatelli.com/

Architectural Photography

Arch-Exist photography / Zhewei Su, Zhenhuan He

http://www.arch-exist.com/home.html

About Activities : 

Opening Ceremony

October 31st 2020, 17:00-21:00pm(UTC+8)

Roca Shanghai Gallery

Seminar 1-Ontology and Edge

November 1st 2020, 14:00-16:00pm (UTC+8)

Roca Shanghai Gallery & Online

Seminar 2-Preservation and Regeneration

November 7th 2020, 14:00-16:00pm (UTC+8)

Roca Shanghai Gallery & Online

Seminar 3-Contemporary and Current

November 12th 2020, 18:30-20:10pm (UTC+8)

Roca Shanghai Gallery & Online

Seminar 4-Nature and Future

November 28th 2020, 14:00-16:00pm (UTC+8)

Roca Shanghai Gallery & Online

About Roca Shanghai Gallery

The Roca Galleries are architectonic spaces which express Roca’s will, as a leading company in the market, to maintain a constant dialogue with society and to create a knowledge exchange platform with professionals from the worlds of architecture, interior design, and management as well as those disciplines related to innovation or sustainability.