MAD architects + mass studies: the street

'the street' by mass studies
image © designboom


beijing-based firm MAD architects and korean practice mass studies participated in 'the street', an exhibition of experiential
installations at this year's shenzhen & hong kong bi-city biennale in shenzhen, china. curated by terence riley, a series of
displays are contained within cubicles evoking a road lined with facades. riley referred this exhibition concept to
paolo portoghesi's 'strada novissima' for the first venice architecture biennale in 1980, titled 'presence of the past'.

mass studies featured a series of stepped platforms surfaced with LED screens which projected drawings, photographs and details
of their buildings along with models within the cubic arrangement. MAD architects created a cubicle with a curved and mirrored
partition and placed a black sphere inside. the skin of the ball has been penetrated with peepholes through which visitors
may view the glowing contents stored inside.



cubic installation by mass studies
image © designboom



cubes are surfaced with LED screens to project images of drawings and photographs
image © designboom



cubes are surfaced with LED screens show their work
image © designboom



LED screens project images of work
image © designboom



korean pavilion at the shanghai world expo 2010
image © designboom
see designboom's coverage of this project here.



facade detail of the korean pavilion at the shanghai world expo 2010
image © designboom
see designboom's coverage of this project here.



model
image © designboom



'xi gallery' located in pusan, korea
image © designboom



minsuk cho, founder of mass studies
portrait © designboom


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street installation by MAD architects
image © designboom



sphere is bordered with a curved and mirrored wall
image © designboom



surface of the sphere is covered with peepholes
image © designboom



(left) peephole
(right) view to the core of the sphere
images © designboom



ma yansong, founder of MAD architects
portrait © designboom


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the 2011 SZHK biennale
in shenzhen, china ran from december 8th through december 11th 2011.
the scale of certain projects is such that the architect becomes not only a designer of buildings but also city planner and landscape
architect and the shenzhen & hong kong bi-city biennale of urbanism \ architecture reflects this in its theme:
architecture creates cities - cities create architecture.
the SZHK biennale is the first to focus on urbanism as an ongoing theme to explore issues of the city as an active agent in contemporary culture.
the program included more than 30 exhibitions, symposiums, panel discussions and performances.
terence riley has been appointed chief curator (he is the first international curator for the event).
the hong kong edition will work to complement the shenzhen biennale in an integrative way and is curated by gene king and
anderson lee currently under preparation and due to open in february 2012.
designboom is the principal international media partner of the SZHK biennale.