The DOCOMOMO Macau Research Centre said in a statement on Friday that it will launch five events on Macau’s modern architecture, with its inaugural event set to take place tomorrow.
According to the statement, the events all revolve around the book “Macau Modern Architecture – Walking Guide”, which features “the most significant examples of modern architecture built in the twentieth century”. Its launch will coincide with tomorrow’s event.
Themed “On Modern Heritage and Identity Issues”, the inaugural event, the statement noted, is “a roundtable session of open conversation with invited guests”. The guests are University of Macau (UM) Prof. Agnes Lam Iok Fong, Architects Association of Macau President Christine Choi Wan Sun, and Macau historian Chan Shui Wing.
The discussion will be moderated by DOCOMOMO Macau and take place tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Pin-to bookstore in Rua de Coelho do Amaral, the statement said. The second event, themed “Modern Heritage relevance in the framework of current city policies”, will take place on October 6 at 7 p.m. in Livraria Portuguesa in Rua de São Domingos.
The other three events of the series “Talks on Macau Modern Architecture” will take place from December to April 2023, with further details to be announced in due course, the statement added.
Meanwhile, the book comprises a selection of different types of buildings across time, illustrating the richness of the city’s modern heritage and forming an important part of its recent historical legacy, according to the statement.
The statement pointed out that the selected buildings are grouped into eight sectors that correspond to eight proposed walking tours in different areas of “strong urban development during the modernist period”.
The statement said that more contemporary and cost-effective architectural forms threaten many of Macau’s earlier buildings, with the loss of its 20th century heritage leaving “a gaping hole in the city’s identity”.
“Recognising the innovative architecture of modernity is an essential step in safeguarding and preserving the entirety of Macau’s diverse, rich, multi-layered architectural heritage”, the statement noted.
According to its Facebook page, DOCOMOMO stands for the Documentation and Conservation of buildings, sites and neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement. It is a non-profit organisation that “promotes public interest and recognition of modern architecture in Macau”.
This poster provided on Monday by the Docomomo Macau Research Centre promotes its upcoming events and their themes.
