City in a City: A Decade of Urban Thinking by Steven Holl Architects
Held
at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House in
Los
Angeles, City in a City: a Decade of Urban Thinking by Steven Holl
Architects presented the office's work throughout China. The
exhibition
opens with a reception and panel discussion on Wednesday, January
29with
panel discussion moderated by Christoph a. Kumpusch featuring
contributing
authors of the new book Urban Hopes: Made in China (Lars Müller,
2013). The
discussion panelists included Kathy Battista, Kimberli Meyer, Mark
Morris,
Ryan J. Simons, Anthony Titus, and Hrag Vartanian. Steven Holl gave a
public lecture in the courtyard of the Schindler house. The exhibition
ran
through March 9, 2014. This new exhibition of the work of Steven Holl
Architects presented six urban projects in China, designed with
particular
focus on shaping public space, natural green strategies, hybrid
programs,
structure and light. Included are three built works: Linked Hybrid in
Beijing, Vanke Center/Horizontal Skyscraper in Shenzhen, and Sliced
Porosity Block in Chengdu, as well as three yet to be built works:
Porosity
Plan in Dongguan, Eco-City in Tianjin, and the Qingdao Culture and Art
Center. Concept watercolors of each building were on view along with
project models and construction documents. Also featured were short
videos
of the built works. The exhibition was arranged chronologically from
2002-2013 through the rooms of the Schindler House, making physical
the
journey through a decade of thinking. Spirit of Space filmed
the exhibition and Steven's lecture. As the office has taken on
work of
increasing complexity in China, embracing that which could dominate
us—the
city, infrastructure and overpopulation—has been an important part
of the
Holl design process. The projects featured in this exhibition offer a
study
of contrasting and nested scales that acknowledge the city-dweller’s
ever-morphing perception from micro to macro and back again. Aside
from
speaking on the panel, I assisted Janine Biunno with the installation
of
models and water colors. The exhibition poster was designed by Won S.
Choi.
