On September 7th at 5 p.m. Italian time the 8th International Architecture Exhibition NEXT of la Biennale di Venezia opened in the Arsenale section of Venice. Over 190 architectural projects by more than 90 architects were on display at the exhibition, bringing together a collection of the newest architectural ideas.
At the opening ceremony, the host Mr. Riley announced that the Special Prize to an individual patron of architectural works was awarded to Zhang Xin from China. At that moment, the participants from the architectural world seemed to sense the emergence of architectural situation in present-day China.
As a matter of fact, it was not until the morning of September 7th that Zhang Xin was informed she would receive the prize. From the 4th to the 7th of September, staff from SOHO China Ltd. were busy setting up models of the Commune by the Great Wall project. The project was shown in plot number 1 near the entrance of the Theme Hall.
The exhibition required every project to follow a standard format. As Mr. Sudjic, the director of this exhibition, walked and commented on the projects around the hall followed by a herd of international journalists, Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi looked at the gentleman who had invited them to attend the exhibition.
It was not until the award ceremony that they actually met and shook hands with him.
Developed by the couple's company, SOHO China Ltd., Commune by the Great Wall was designed by 12 outstanding Asian architects. Construction commenced on February 4, 2001 and since then, the Commune has been attracting much attention from the media at home and abroad. In its February edition 2002, International Design Magazine featured the Commune to represent architecture in the city of Beijing, one of the 40 cities selected to highlight their architectural designs.
Subsequently, many prominent individuals from international architectural exhibitions recommended the Commune to the director of Biennale. Most important were recommendations from the director of the last Biennale di Venezia, Harald Szeeman, and the present curator of MOMA, Terry Riley. This really facilitated the Commune being invited to participate in this year's la Biennale.
As for Zhang Xin, president, and Pan Shiyi, chairman of SOHO China Ltd., just being invited to participate in the prestigious exhibition was a dream come true, but winning the Special Prize was truly a significant event in their lives and careers.
This was the first time that a Biennale prize was awarded to a non-architect. The name of the award was 'Special Prize to an individual patron of architectural works'. The word 'patron', when translated into Chinese, becomes 'Tui Dong' - literally meaning 'support', 'sponsor' and 'promote'. The word 'Tui Dong' though is unlikely to convey to the Chinese people the word's relationship to the Medici family patronage.
In March of 2001, Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin displayed their Jianwai SOHO project at the Cannes International Real Estate Exposition. Afterwards, they traveled to Rome, Florence and Venice and became inspired by the Medici family. Through their financial strength and organizational skills, the Medicis helped make the city of Florence a capital of art.
As a patron of the arts, the Medicis supported a great number of architects and artists, the most famous being Michelangelo. At that time, Zhang Xin, who lacks the modesty of more traditional Chinese business people, smiled at her husband Pan Shiyi and said, "We are destined to be the Chinese Medici.
" In a sense, winning the prize at this Biennale implies recognition of their "Medici complex" to some extent.
This exhibition's director Mr. Deyan Sudjic is an architecture critic. He is also the chief editor of the well-known architecture and design magazine DUMAS. But it seems he did not realize the Commune's participation at the Biennale and Zhang Xin's winning an award would arouse so much interest in China. In a provisional office located in a little building near Arsenale, Mr. Sudjic repeatedly expounded on his opinions and standards to Chinese journalists:
"Architecture has really been about the same things for thousands of years. It has been about a sense of making a place, making identity, of shelter, of reflecting dreams. To me, architecture is independent of nations and ideology. Just like architects, it's not important if male or female, old or young.
Architecture is always close to power, and money is a kind of power. Sometimes the government can use this power to make public housing for poor people. In this sense, architecture is engaged both with the poor and rich. In the past year, I've been traveling around the world, looking for interesting projects.
I found one or two projects in China which seem to me to show a change. China is not an importer of architectural works and ideas. Instead, Chinese are able to innovate and originate as well. Commune by the Great Wall is such an example. Its participation and Zhang Xin's winning the prize does not indicate this project needs special consideration".
In light of some obvious clues, the Commune's participation and winning the prize could be called a "conspiracy". This "conspiracy" corresponds to the "Road to the World" - a project that is located at the foot of the Great Wall and uses a red star in its design. Since the Great Wall and the red star are globally recognized as symbols of China and China provides many business opportunities, it is reasonable that this project is recognized and accepted.
'Shan Yu Jian' villa designed by Yong Ho Chang was begun almost at the same time as the construction of SOHO New Town. And the Commune, whose designers include Rocco Yim, Seung H-Sang, Shigeru Ban, Yung Ho Chang and Cui Kai started almost at the same time as the company's Jianwai SOHO project. But Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi deny that this was expensive advertising.
Zhang Xin said frankly, "Business is the most efficient way to support what you believe in. As a developer, we are able to select architectural works to express and realize our dreams. Commune by the Great Wall is of significance in that it not only provides a rich variety of possibilities for architecture and future residence, but also is an excellent business venture at a time when most Chinese are looking to buy houses.
In addition to the huge monetary investment, Zhang Xin has devoted lots of energy to the Commune project. She steadfastly encouraged the 12 architects to try new ideas and start new endeavors while designing the buildings and implementing their plans. She said, "The role of a patron is to break the established rules set by the old masters and give the architect a free environment to become a new MASTER."
To Zhang Xin, the architects participating in the Venice Biennale are all masters. But these masters only represent the present; the future will open up many opportunities for new masters to emerge.
In this sinking, ancient city from the renaissance, the masters at the exhibition are exchanging the most cutting-edge architectural ideas. According to some estimates, at least 20 per cent of the architectural works in the exhibition could never be constructed. According to Pan Shiyi - whom the media says "loves to put on shows" - this exhibition is like a luxurious fashion event.
Not all the costumes at the show can be really be worn. The most important thing for such a show is that it provides ideas that can be made use of. "The architectural exhibition at Venice Biennale is no exception," said Pan.
Official Awards at the 8th International Architecture Exhibition NEXT
The International Jury of the 8th International Architecture Exhibition, presided
over by Terence Riley, and made up of Marie-Laure Jousset, Richard Koshalek,
Rowan Moore and Michele De Lucchi, awarded the following prizes during the official
opening today:
Golden Lion for the best project awarded to the Ibere Camargo Foundation in
Porto Alegre (Brazil), designed by Alvaro Siza Vieira. An emblem of the practice
of architecture as an ethical profession, the building sets a pattern for the
future based on intense intellectual curiosity and creative research.
Golden Lion for the Best Foreign Pavilion awarded to the Dutch Pavilion. The
renovation of the Gerrit Rietveld pavilion, the installation design by Hermann
Herzberger and the work of the five architects under 40, represents in a simple
and immediate way three generations of architects in a country where architecture
has always been expressed at the highest level.
Special Prize to an individual patron of architectural works is awarded to Zhang
Xin whose bold personal initiative emphasizes the role of 12 Asian architects
in building privately-owned houses in a definitively contemporary manner.
Special Prize for governmental patronage is given to the City of Barcelona for
its leadership in creating an environment where excellence in public and private
architecture consistently play a prominent role in the cultural and physical
life of the city.
Special Mention is given to Next Mexico City: the Lakes Project for its visionary
commitment and its evocation of original and environmentally sustainable concepts
for the challenges confronting contemporary mega-cities today.
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement awarded to Toyo Ito in recognition of his
distinguished contribution to contemporary architecture.
(News from official website of La Biennale di Venezia)
Comment
A U-turn by Marco Polo
The 8th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia,
which opened on September 7, successfully proved itself the most proactive and
authoritative event in today's architectural world. Due to the participation
of the Commune by the Great Wall, la Biennale showed its thorough consideration
to architecture around the world as well as to the future development of China
and other Asian countries. It does not matter if what 'The Travels of Marco
Polo' says is true or not for it is simply the idea of travel to Xanadu that made the
West want to discover the mysterious East. The Commune's participation and success in
Venice is of great significance, not in the sense that the West discovered the
East once again. Rather, it is in the sense that the East discovered
the West once again. This is a reverse trip to Marco Polo's - starting from
Venice, Marco Polo found the "Road to the East"; but this time, the
Commune started from China and found the "Road to the World" at Venice.
No matter how we view the future of our market, the "East" offers
great business opportunities in the eyes of the "West". For example,
"In Beijing only, the floor area of new housing completed last year was
more than twice that of the whole of Europe." Consequently, there will
always be Marco Polos, and as we know, Marco Polo is bound to succeed.
