2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. To celebrate this glorious year, The Hong Kong Institute of Architects has organized the Urbanism and Architecture Exhibitions for Excellence in Hangzhou, Beijing, Hong Kong, and New York. The event aims to showcase Hong Kong architects' expertise, style, and unique insight in orchestrating a matrix of past meeting future and East meeting West.
Through the showcase of both conceptual/built architecture projects and audio-visual objects/ installations, the exhibition invites the Mainland and overseas visitors to explore the tenacity of Hong Kong people, which creates a city with a unique aesthetic of both density and diversity.
In "Beyond Territories — Made . Make . Making" Urbanism and Architecture Exhibitions for Excellence, the Curatorial Team introduces the world of architects. There are not many cities that can act as an architecturally experimental space, but Hong Kong, with its rapid developments over centuries, lavish and diverse culture, landscape, and traditions, has always been a perfect testing ground. Hong Kong architects have always aspired to create a sustainable city and they strive to bridge the gap between past and future by dedicating their all-rounded expertise and paying close attention to heritage conservation practices while considering technological innovations during their design processes. These practices ensure that the city will be able to overcome any potential obstacles ahead.
"Made" will bridge the past with the present while documenting the rich history, essence and legacy of Hong Kong. Moreover, it pays tribute to well-known masters of architecture: tracing their footprints and perspectives and studying their impact on the city. The new generation of architects is welcome to reflect on the past to envision growth for the future, addressing how heritage can initiate a new cultural wave.
"Make" displays the rich, vivid, and creative environment of Hong Kong's communities and the discernible colours of the various districts, emphasizing local creativity and imagination that emerge from the identity of each street and alleyway. These dives into Hong Kong's neighbourhoods reflect the humanity within the city's architecture, showcasing the local culture and the collective efforts resulting from cross-professional place-making.
We are entering and encountering an age of unforeseen challenges. We confront various issues such as the housing crisis, shortage of natural resources, climate change, wealth inequality, etc. Even the pandemic has created new norms for our perception of distance, interpersonal relationships, living patterns, and sustainable developments. "Making" gathers innovative ideas and voices to transcend the boundaries of architectural frameworks. It imagines how contemporary cities will concentrate on the possibilities that lead to innovation and a new foundation that rises beyond the unpredictable future.
The city's past, present, and future show that our world is not strictly based on linear developments but on active and dynamic processes of continuous changes, collisions, influences, collaboration, and creation. The exhibitors build upon the concept of the "City" as a common language to showcase modern multimedia narratives, allowing the audience to rediscover and appreciate the importance of architectural creations while enjoying these extraordinary showpieces.
