‘Other History’ SAME-‐SAME Project Workshop Shanghai, China 3rd Nov 2013 – 11th Nov 2013
A project launched by West Heavens, School of Humanities, Tongji University (Shanghai) and KRVIA (Mumbai) Support by Inter-‐aisa School ， Mengchu Foundation
Project Summary Ginella George Cities are palimpsests with visible and not-‐so visible markers that conceal within them stories of its evolution. Demarcation of heritage assists in unveiling these containers but not always, necessarily the contents. The artifact then, reveals itself as a fragment removed from its original circumstance and desire, engulfed and enframed by a set of new constraints. Collective Memory contrasts history and memory as two contradictory ways of dealing with the past.1 History starts when social memory and continuous tradition stop operating and dissolve. While history is only for a few as there can be only one history, collective memory is shared by the whole community and thus there can be as many memories as communities. According to Halbwachs, historians aim at writing an objective and impartial universal history and are limited in their validity to members of a particular community. Doreen Massey in Space, Place and Gender argues that space must be conceptualized integrally with time, as constructed of social relations. She goes on to state that space needs to be thought of not as some absolute dimension but as a construct of social relations. History as a mode of production or as a socio-‐ecological pattern will enable a different description of space. It would attempt to form a dialectic between the spatial and the temporal. The focus of this history shifts from classifications of buildings into glorious eras to understanding economic landscapes, from identifying styles to identifying types and contexts and from narrating glorious events to documenting people’s lifestyles. The framework elaborates identification of heritage from built-‐structures to include work conditions, living conditions and other city cultures. A changed framework of understanding history will enable a more inclusive and nuanced interpretation of heritage. The workshop would look at tracing other histories and reading patterns of the city’s development and heritage through them.
Project Orientation Bing Bu
Observation-‐Narrative-‐Intervention
Field Definition The term Dinghaiqiao in this project does not refer to the particular bridge or the administrative zone bearing the same name, but an area named after the bridge by common sense traditionally. Further on, we find the borders of this area by artery roads or water body which are hard to cross, namely Jungong Road on the east, Neijiang Road on the west, Huangpu River on the south and Zhoujiazui Road on the north. Site Characters 1）Diversity This field contains various of urban spaces and buildings from different historical periods, including: native villages before concession period; factories and worker’s residences during concession period; worker’s residences after 1949; habitations of migrant workers in last 10 years, creative industry parks in last 5 years, high-‐end residences in last 3 years , Subway station and related commercial projects in the future. It is also noteworthy that each crowd from each space has distinct characteristics. 2）Dynamics On the north side of the area, a large number of low-‐rise buildings, mainly residential and supporting commercial, are now being taken down due to the construction of the new subway station and related new commercial developments. On the south side, there is an obvious gentrification process undergoing along with those newly built high-‐rise luxury waterfront residential towers and those creative industry parks converted from factories or warehouses.
3）Marginalization: This area is not shown on any tourist map or guidebook of Shanghai. And it lacks of daily life connection to other parts, especially those fashionable parts of Shanghai. However, it is very typical in the peripheral areas of Shanghai, the mix of social strata and land use, and a majority population from the low-‐income class. This is an often neglected and marginalized typicality. Research Aim The aim of this project starts from making a particular historical narrative and a map of Dinghaiqiao based on individual observation and experience. Students are also encouraged to design a mechanism of getting involved in urban daily life (Social-‐engagement), to execute it, and to observe and record its outcome. As a short-‐time urban design program, we expect students to get trained on the following aspects： 1) Methods of urban observation 2) Narrative forms based on drawing plus other media formats 3) Understanding the possibility of urban intervention other than top-‐down planning methods Research Steps 1) Build a site cognition based on individual fieldwork observing one (or a few) particular site characteristic. (The observation can focus on one “verb” aspect, such as the “defense” or “expansion” of the residential space. Or, on a particular experience, such as text experience, material experience, color experience, graphic experience, language experience, or acoustic experience) 2) Present the individual site cognition using drawings or other media. Then group into teams (3 or 4 students each), teamwork towards a very a particular historical narrative and a map of Dinghaiqiao, and design a mechanism of urban intervention of local daily life. (Such as pretending to rent an apt in the area, spread a rumor, create a piece of art work and place it on site) 3) Mid-‐term review. Each team presents their works and discuss. 4) Execute the urban intervention mechanism proposal, observe and record its outcome, use this to verify site cognition. 5) Optimize works, final presentation and review.
Important Tips 1) Do not relying on document literature. It is just a kind of “History”. Students are supposed to build another history from fieldwork, a history never be recorded. 2) Urban design is not just about assisting the top-‐down process such as planning, relocation, roadwork, or development decided by the authorities, but also the grass-‐roots activities taken by individuals which are also shaping our cities. 3) It is always more valuable to observe city in the middle of change rather than the final state. People always put too much attention on the aim and ignore the long time span of the process. 4) Do not try to be complete nor covering every aspects. As far as your particular research reaching a good enough depth, you will make a great contribution to the whole achievement. 5) Chinese students may have more knowledge of the field through early visits or access to historical archives. Nonetheless, DO NOT FOLLOW YOUR KNOWLEDGE, BUT USE YOUR FRESH EYES to dig into the field, just like your Indian colleagues will do.
Accommodation The Holiday Inn Express Wujiaochang No.1729 Huang Xing Road, Shanghai 200433, China Transportation From Pudong Airport Take Line 2 at Pudong Airport and transfer Line 10 at East Nanjing Rd. Station (To Xinjiangwancheng Station direction) and get off at Guoquan Rd Station. From Hongqiao Airport Take Line 10 and get off at Guoquan Rd Station.
Workshop Space Room 1102 at Multifunctional Building in Tongji University (1239, Siping Rd) Transportation From Holiday Inn Express Take Line 10 at Guoquan Rd Station and get off at Tongji University Station, enter the gate of Tongji University, turn right at the first cross and go straight, the highest building on your right hand is the Multi-‐functional Building.
Field Location Dinghaiqiao Area
Transportation From Holiday Inn Express Walk to Bus Station (150m) Take bus 60 from Huangxing Road Guoshun Road to Pingliang Road Dinghai Road.
From Tongji University Take 960 at Chifeng Rd Miyun Rd and transfer 317 from Pingliang Rd Xuchang Rd to Pingliang Rd Dinghai Rd.
Group Leaders
Ginella George is a Conservation Architect and is Asst. Professor at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture, Mumbai. She has done her masters in Urban Conservation and has always been interested in historic areas and their relevance, functionality and transformation in present times especially in the city of Mumbai. Through her research and academic explorations this has been a particular area of interest among larger urban concerns. She has authored and presented papers pertaining to heritage, history and urban areas. Among her recent work she was part of the Cinema City project a research initiative by Majlis –which was exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. BU Bing, born in 1973 in Yangzhou, is the principal of One Design Inc. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degree of Architecture from Tsinghua University and Yale University respectively. He joined MADA s.p.a.m. in 2000, and established One Design Inc in 2003. His works include the LVG Office Complex at Shanghai, the Wulongtan Resort at Ningbo, urban design for West Town of Zhujiajiao, art installation work Cloud Room at Beijing/Taichung/Washington DC. His works have been exhibited in Chengdu Biennale 2011, “Flourishing & Flowing” A Contemporary Art Exhibition across the Strait 2011, Shanghai Biennale 2002, Shenzhen/Hong Kong Biennale 2007, and Utopia2 at CIVA Brussels 2008. Bu Bing also curate exhibitions including “Tumu@home” at Shanghai 2002, “Ningbo, the metamorphosis of a Chinese city” at Berlin Aedes 2003, “Un-‐natural” at BCA Beijing 2009. Instructors Weijie Tang, Xinghua Lu, Gang Liu, Yan Wang
Participants Chinese Tianyu Zou(Westheavens Intern, art school student ), Zhiqian Li(designer), Qi Zhou(designer, illustrator), Qing Shi(artist) Zhifeng Xu(artist ), Xiaochuan Zhang(artist), Yuting Zhang(bachelor of art-‐filmmaking) Jiangtao Ni(Master of architecture), Yuqing Xie(bachelor of art history), Ronggang Wu(bachelor of Chinese), Yuehan Wu(bachelor of Chinese)
Indian(KRVIA College, junior) Gokani Mrinali, Kumar Neeti, Mahajan Nikita, Maheshwari Shwetank, Mehta Nirali, Nathani Deeksha, Shah Chintan, Shah Priyank, Thakur Radhika, Vanzara Disha *Participants will be divided into 5 teams with mixed cultural backgrounds, each team will be given 1600 RMB as their project allowance, which includes transportation, lunch and materials for final presentation. One of the chinese member is in charge of the allowance. Media Observer Jing Yuan <Urban China> Zhengdong Dai <Morning Post>
Recommended Reading
• Gupte R, Shetty P, Mehrotra R : 2011, Architecture and Contemporary Indian Identity, in Constructing Identity in Contemporary Architecture: Case Studies from the South ed Peter Herrle, Stephanus Schmitz, Lit Verlag, Berlin • Shetty P : 2004, Rethinking Heritage: The Case of Heritage Conservation in Mumbai, Mumbai Reader, UDRI • Bataille, G. (1929): Architecture, Dictionnaire Critique (trans. Paul Hegarty) in Neil Leach ed. (1997) Rethinking Architecture, Routledge, London. • Colquhoun, A.:1996, Three Kinds of Historicism in K. Nesbit (ed.), Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture: An Anthology of Architectural Theory: 1965-‐95, Princeton Architectural Press, New York. • Bhatt, V. and Scriver, P. (1990): After the Masters: Contemporary Indian Architecture, Mapin, Ahmedabad • _Kosambi, D. : 1975, An Introduction to a Study of Indian History, Popular Prakashan, Bombay Online Database: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ribeasgrcceq1en/mHl0YDAk9i
Schedule Nov.2 Afternoon Indian members arrive Shanghai Nov.2 7:30 p.m
field trip to Dinghaiqiao（Meet at Hotel lobby）
Nov.3 10:30 a.m Nov.3 3:00 p.m
Second field trip to Dinghaiqiao(Meet at Hotel lobby) First meeting; grouping（Tongji）
Nov.3 5:00 p.m
Lecture The Dinghaiqiao by Ting Yu (Tongji)
Nov.6 3:00 p.m
Lecture The History of Worker’s residences in Shanghai by Weiqiang Wang(Tongji)
Nov.7 1:00 p.m
Mid-‐term Review
Nov.9 6 p.m
Screening and after-‐discussion Huangbaomei (Putuo District, optional)
Nov.11 10am
Final Presentation
Nov.11 Noon
Lunch
Nov.11 6:30 pm
Lecture by Yingjun Xie(Tongji)
Tips: 1) “Tongji” is the workshop place located in Room 1102 at Multifunctional Building in Tongji University (1239, Siping Rd) 2) Except for the schedule, group leaders can organize other activities. 3) Besides the screening of Huangbaomei , the rest lectures and workshops are mandatory.
Activity Arrangement SAME-‐SAME 2013 Lecture 1 Legends of Dinghaiqiao Nov 3 Mon 5 -‐ 7pm, Room 1102, Tongji Multifunctional Building Speaker: Yu Ting (architect) Respondents: Yin Yi (artist), Jin Feng (artist) SAME-‐SAME 2013 Lecture 2 A Brief History of Workers’ Villages Nov 6 Wed 3 -‐ 5pm, Room 1102, Tongji Multifunctional Building Speaker: Wang Weiqiang (architecture professor) Respondents: Chris Connery (Cultural Studies scholar) SAME-‐SAME 2013 Midterm Review Nov 7 Thu 1pm Room1102, Tongji Multifunctional Building SAME-‐SAME 2013 Final Presentations and Discussions Nov 11 Mon 10am -‐ 1pm, Room 1102 Tongji Multifuctional Building SAME-‐SAME 2013 Lecture 3 Self-‐build Resident in Open System Nov 11 Mon 6.30 -‐ 8 pm, Room 1102 Tongji Multifunctional Building Speaker: Hsieh Ying Chun (architect) SAME-‐SAME 2013 Screening&After Discussion(optional) “Huangbaomei” Nov 9 Sat 6pm Liudebao Studio, Putuo Disctrict
Field Map