Across Chinese Cities, the Community – Exhibition

Promoted by Beijing Design Week in partnership with Suzhou Municipal Government, “Across Chinese Cities – The Community” is held from May 26 to October 19, 2018 at the Ca Tron palace, Venezia. Co-curated by Beatrice Leanza, Michele Brunello and Wu Wenyi, this exhibition is a collateral event of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia. It explores approaches to planning linked to the development of ‘communities’ as mechanisms that create new systems of social, economic and spatial belonging.

The exhibition offers an unprecedented look at over 20 case studies organized in six thematic frameworks – Working Paradigms / The Domestic Sphere / The Consumer Revolution / Culture, Learning & Care / Leisure & Playtime / Mobility – each providing a narrative entry point to socio-cultural constructs where collective life is customarily consumed and reproduced. It includes historical itineraries drawing connections between the present case studies and past governmentalities of architectural and social formations – the people’s Commune, the Danwei (working unit) and the Socialist Mansion, so to suggest understandings of publicness, resilience and civic participation that might differ from their Western equivalents.

The project eventually aims at collating knowledge around economic and socio-spatial dynamics of modern development in China centred around enabling the ‘making of community’ as a project, rather than an accomplished state”, which therefore inform novel discursive and planning practices of responsive governance and creative management for the contemporary city.

Updated on June 13, 2018

Date: From May 26 to October 19, 2018
Venue: Ca’Tron, Santa Croce 1957 – 30135 Venezia
Curators: Beatrice Leanza, The Global School; Michele Brunello, DONTSTOP Architettura; Curator Guest City Suzhou: Wu Wenyi, Nexus Institute for Community Research; Guest Curators Slow Village: Chen Anhua, Ke Wei
Participants: 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio, 9town-studio, AA School of Architecture/AA Visiting School (China), Atlas Studio, Bishan Crafts Cooperative, B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio, CHIASMUS Partners, Common Design Studio, DATAOJO, Digua Community, Doffice, Elsewhere, Kwan-Yen Project / Ou Ning, MAT Office, META-Project, MDDM Studio, Architecture Office, Southeast University School of Architecture, Stefano Boeri Architetti, Tianqiao E-life.
See full program: http://www.acrosschinesecities.org/2018/, https://www.bside.design/across-chinese-cities-2018