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 MAM statement, the “17th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia – Exhibits from Macau, China” 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 it 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 Lao’s work themed “Coexistence”. The statement points out that it features an installation composed of printed fabrics with conceptual essentials of the city landscape, various kinds of architecture and residents’ lives. The design expresses the concept of coexistence through photos aiming to address the relationship between people and architecture, with written texts to show local people’s thoughts about future architecture and lifestyles, such as the old quarters’ urban renewal, new urban development and land reclamation project, the in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin and cross-border cooperation with other mainland cities – striving to depict Macau’s city landscape in the future, according to the statement.
Lao was born in Macau. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Resources Environment and the Management of Urban and Rural Planning from Sichuan Normal University (SICNU) in 2010 and obtained her master’s degree in Architecture from Huaqiao University (HQU) in Fujian province. After graduating she returned to Macau, and she is now a senior urban planner at CAA City Planning and Engineering Consultants Ltd. in Macau (澳門新域城市規劃暨工程顧問有限公司), according to the statement.
The exhibition runs until Friday 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
