Architecture in social dialogue
July 8–October 3, 2021
in der Pinakothek der Moderne
Barer Straße 40
80333 Munich
Germany
Hours: Tuesday–Wednesday and Friday–Saturday 10am–6pm
Thursday 10am–8pm
T +49 89 28922493
F +49 89 28928333
am@architekturmuseum.de
The exhibition Taiwan Acts! at the Architekturmuseum der TUM in Munich, Germany, is about a particular aspect of the current building culture in Taiwan, which promotes socially engaged architectural projects of humble origins. These new approaches that have developed independently of large-scale projects by international architects are to date little known abroad.
Since the devastating Jiji earthquake in September 1999, a number of architectural initiatives that focus on the social role of building to strengthen the equality and sustainability of living conditions have emerged in Taiwan, and continue to do so.
The first of its kind to emanate from this cultural sphere, this exhibition brings together more than 100 selected projects categorized in 5 themes according to their localities and the approaches they demonstrate.
Though varying in scale and context, together, they form a collection that illustrates how practitioners respond through design, architecture and urbanism to the challenges and constraints of their respective social, economic, political and cultural conditions. Whether conducted by professionals in a top-down approach or by non-professionals they testify to the practitioners’ close engagement with subjects relevant to the society they care about so passionately. Their shared ambition is to advance justice and fairness in a society of increasing division between the haves and the have-nots.
Theme 1: Making Places in Yilan
Architect Sheng-Yuan Huang worked and lived with his team at Fieldoffice Architects in Yilan. The main purpose of their work there is to heal the collective memory and imagination and restore the identity of the city’s residents.
Theme 2: Developing Local Communities
Ten community development projects are presented under this theme. Each project is the result of community members coming together to take collective action and solve common problems through design, architecture and urbanism.
Theme 3: Constructing Autonomy of Architecture
This theme presents the highly individualistic, creative approaches of eight architectural firms, including Atelier Or, Behet Bondzio Lin Architects, BMT Architects, Divooe Zein Architects, D.Z. Architects & Associates, ECG International Landscape consultants, EHS ArchiLab, and HARMONIOUS Architects & Planners. The architects find solutions by insisting on upholding social ideals, which manifest in their radical approaches to design and construction.
Theme 4: Building for World Citizens
In the past 20 years, a few architects from Taiwan have devoted their life and work into the field of humanitarian architecture generally, and post-disaster housing reconstruction in particular. They have gained invaluable skills and experiences which they have been able to implement in other parts of the world.
Theme 5: Regenerating Hsinchu City
Hsinchu is a windy coastal city with the youngest population in Taiwan. Since 2014, the then newly elected Mayor Chih-Chien Lin and his team have commissioned a series of public projects to transform and regenerate the deteriorated cityscape.
Portraying varying approaches across different disciplines, the five themes illustrate the importance of dialogue between architecture and its society to achieve positive project outcomes when working toward a common humanistic concern. This exhibition is therefore the starting point for a necessary, mutually enriching dialogue between the rapidly developing young population of Taiwan and the rest of the world.
Curated by Dr. Chen-Yu Chiu (Bilkent University, Turkey) with Professor Chun-Hsiung Wang (Shih-Chien University, Taiwan), the exhibition Taiwan Acts! is the first comprehensive presentation of this topic. It presents a large variety of photographs, video materials, interviews and models. A comprehensive catalogue by the Alliance for Architectural Modernity, Taiwan with accompanying essays by Chen-Yu Chiu, Chun-Hsiung Wang, Ya-Jun Jiang, Sheng-Fong Lin, Chang-Chih Hsu and Juhani Pallasmaa will be published by ArchiTangle Publishers in summer 2021.
All further information about the exhibition and the accompanying program, as well as videos and images can be found on the Architekturmuseum der TUM's website.
Taiwan Acts! guided tours with the curator Chen-Yu Chiu and Pia Nürnberger: more information here.
