“Everybody in China has been moved to a new location or a new city, new town, new apartment... But with such a big movement, or revolutionary change, there is very little discussion or very little meaningful challenge — intellectual challenge — about what architecture is in this fast developing society.”
Despite the country's building boom, Ai says that the state of China's architectural philosphy has largely remained stagnant because conversation is stifled.
— asiasociety.org
Ai Weiwei, along with former ambassador to China Uli Sigg, journalist Martin Meyer, and Jacques Herzog, discussed architecture's role in contemporary Chinese society as part of a panel hosted by Asia Society Switzerland.
Weiwei referred to architecture alongside any aesthetic discussions, as threatening to the sitting Chinese government: “The discussion does not benefit who is going to be profited. So authorities doesn’t like this kind of discussion — any discussion related to aesthetics. That means [conversation] about philosophy, legitimacy of power — then that’s very dangerous [to officials].”
Watch the panel discussion below.
More news on the world-famous dissident artist:
1 Comment
China is going to wake up from this re-building orgy with a mighty hang-over.
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