Camy Tam
An exhibition entitled “Connectivities: Living beyond the boundaries – Macau and the Greater Bay Area”, which is part of the series of the “17th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia – Collateral Event from Macau, China”, is being held at the Taipa Houses.
The event is co-organised by the Macau Museum of Art (MAM) and the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) in conjunction with the Architects Association of Macau (AAM).
According to a statement on the MAM website, the “17th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia – Exhibits from Macau, China” was opened to the public on May 22 in Venice, presenting the relationship between architecture, land reclamation, collective memory and urban life from multiple perspectives, offering visitors from different parts of the world a picture of the cross-border life in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA-GHKM), and exploring the infinite possibilities of “Connectivities”.
The statement points out that is the fourth year that local architects have participated in the world-famous event in Venice. The exhibition team comprises the curator, Carlos Marreiros (馬若龍), and four young local architects – Chan Ka Tat (陳嘉達), Che Chi Hong (謝智康), Lao Man Si (劉敏詩) and Ho Ting Fong (何庭芳).
In response to the theme of the Biennale “How will we live together?”, the team showcases four works of different styles: “Connected”(連接通道) by Chan Ka Tat, “Connectivity is from point to point!”(連繫始於點) by Che Chi Hong, “Boundary Verticalisation – the Collision of Two Different Urban Systems” (邊界垂直化– 兩組不同的城市系統碰撞) by Ho Ting Fong, and “Coexistence”(共融) by Lao Man Si, in a bid to give an overview of Macau’s future urban landscape and to reflect on the symbiosis and challenges arising from the in-depth integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, according to the statement.
The exhibition at the “Exhibitions Gallery” in Taipa Houses showcases work by Ho Ting Fong themed “Boundary Verticalisation – the Collision of Two Different Urban Systems”. Ho suggests a comprehensive tour around the urban development of Macau. He believes that with the concentration, requalification and development of urban construction in the northern zone of the peninsula, in conjunction with all the main infrastructures, local and regional, integrated in the strategy of the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau, built and currently under construction, will free and preserve the old city’s urban fabric [the physical texture of an urban area], and its historic centre, according to a statement by Marreiros.
The development plan of the city’s northern district (北區) assumes that the area is going to be transformed from an urban boundary to a city centre; thus a megastructure project is going to happen and will be developed vertically because of the saturation of horizontal development in the region, considering the increasing density and intensity caused by the GBA infrastructure location and the need for Macau’s urban development, forming a variety of facilities to meet the needs of the development of the Greater Bay Area, according to MAM’s statement.
Ho was born in Hong Kong in 1982 and raised in Macau. He received a master’s degree in Housing and Urbanism from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, UK, a master’s degree in Project Management (International) from the University of Greenwich, UK and a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan.
After graduating in Taiwan, Ho returned Macau to work for local architectural firm JPC Consultadoria de Arquitectura Limitada, focusing on project management, architecture and interior design. Afterwards, he went to Hong Kong and the United Kingdom to further his studies. In 2018, Ho had an opportunity to participate in the Glenn Murcutt International Master Class in Australia which was hosted by the Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Mr Glenn Murcutt and other well-known local architects, according to the museum’s statement.
The exhibition runs until September 24 at the Exhibitions Gallery of the Taipa Houses in Avenida da Praia, Carmo Zone, Taipa. It opens from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Mondays (no admittance after 6:30 p.m.). Admission is free.
As part of the government’s COVID-19 epidemic prevention measures, all visitors entering the venue must wear a facemask, have their temperature checked and present a digital health code.
For details, visit http://www.mam.gov.mo/e/exhibition.
Photos: Camy Tam
