PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4th 2013
“ANTI-TECTONICS”
A curated event about design and architecture
Beijing Design Week 2013
26th September - 3rd October 2013
“Anti-tectonics pavilion”, Power Square 751 D-Park, Beijing
“Anti-tectonics” is a long term program that pursues Italian and international cooperation in the research, promotion, and production of innovative technologies in the design and industrial fields. Curated by architects Giannantonio Bongiorno, Momo Andrea Destro, and Eugenia Murialdo, the program has been presented in the context of Beijing Design Week 2013 (26th September - 3rd October 2013).
With China’s massive urbanization process showing no sign of abating, there emerges the need and opportunity to investigate alternative and innovative approaches to architecture, design, and related industrial production. “Anti-tectonics” gathers a leading network of professionals, innovative industries, and institutions to generate breakthrough ideas and projects while, also, exposing Italian technological avant-gardes to the Chinese context to spur innovation and new business perspectives.
The project featured the “Anti-tectonics Pavilion,” a structure wrapped by an iconic curtain that staged a series of talks and discussions about the role of design in technological and industrial innovation, from manufacturing to the market place.
Starting from September 27th with an official opening hosted with the presence of the Italian Ambassador to the PRC, His Excellency Mr. Alberto Bradanini, the program presented a variety of activities including the Anti-tectonics forum, IDI “Italian Design Industry, a full-day of moderated discussions about the role of Italian design in China, and an introduction of Milan EXPO 2015, and the program “Cultural Constructions” that featured movie projections and a panel discussions with Italian Architects.
The “Anti-tectonics” project is made possible thanks to the support of the Embassy of Italy to the PRC within the framework of the activities organized by BJDW.
Institutional Partner: Beijing Industrial Design Centre, Supported by: Red Star Communication Centre
For more info please visit www.antitectonics.com or write to [email protected]
“Anti-tectonics Pavilion”:
The program “Anti-tectonics” for Beijing Design Week 2013 has been hosted at the “Anti-tectonics Pavilion”, a structure wrapped by an iconic curtain that staged talks, discussions, and other events during the entire length of the Design Week. Designed by Giannantonio Bongiorno, Momo Andrea Destro and Eugenia Murialdo, the pavilion has been conceived as a simple structure with a roof and 2 main walls. It included a lounge bar, an exhibition area, and a conference room for a total amount of 150m 2. The 50 meters long curtain has been designed as a temporary envelope, able to open the entire pavilion to the Power Square of the 751 design fair grounds, avoiding divisions between inside and outside when open and creating a soft and iconic barrier when closed.
“Anti-tectonics” event list:
Forum “Anti-tectonics”: on September 28th leading Italian and international experts covered topics relevant to emergent technologies, materials, and processes in the field of architecture and urbanism. The forum included two sections.
The first section was about “Emergent designs: Techniques and processes for architectural envelopes”. The discussion has been led by Giannantonio Bongiorno, Momo Andrea Destro and Eugenia Murialdo together with: Inge Goudsmit (Office for Metropolitan Architecture), Emilio Genovesi (Material ConneXion Italy), Matthew Smith (Buro Happold), Prof. Thomas Tsang (The University of Hong Kong), Prof. Yung Ho Chang (Atelier FCJZ, MIT College of Architecture and Urban Planning).
The second session, named “Digital – Material: tracing a new expression of urbanism interweaving materials, informations and programming” featured lecturers prof. Frans Vogelaar and prof. Elizabeth Sikiaridi together with a number of lecturers involved in academics, innovation and architecture including: Xu Feng and Nikolaus Wabnitz (Laboratory for Computational Design), Clement Renaud (Researcher), Holger Kehne (Plasma Studio), Markus M Schneider (Metroshapes/thismedia).
EXPO 2015: on September 29th, the forum presented EXPO 2015. Mr. Emilio Genovesi introduced the main exhibition themes and projects. HIs keynote address highlighted the topic of “food” and the thematic pavilions “Pavilion 0”, “Biodiversity Park,’” and the “Art and Food pavilion at the Children Park”.
IDI – Italian Design Industry: on September 30th, there was a full day round table about the role of the Italian design industry in China that included representatives from the main Italian architecture and design firms present in China including Archea Associati, Progetto CMR, Kokai Studios, and others.
Cultural constructions: on October 1st and October 2nd the “Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Pechino” (Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing) presented the movies “Spring in Shenzhen”, “Passeggiate romane: diario di viaggio di Mo Yan”, “Napoli, Piazza Municipio,” and others, then concluded with a talk with the Italian architect Fabrizio De Leva.
About the curators of “Anti-tectonics”:
Giannantonio Bongiorno, Momo Andrea Destro and Eugenia Murialdo are a team of Italian architects coming from different backgrounds and with wide international experience. They look to the fast paced changes of today’s society as a source of inspiration, and their aim is to promote innovation in the field of design and industry.