Art does not exist in a vacuum; art can support, inspire, comfort, change and unite.
—— Cited from the webpage of ARTS IN THE COMMUNITY of UCLA
Kids play in the courtyard of OCC. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
It was a sunny and hot afternoon at a creative industry center called One Creative Community (OCC) in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, April 18, 2017.
Kids were playing in the center’s courtyard, some running on a runway formed by fallen leaves, some chasing pink ballons, some jumping up and attempting to reach the colorful ribbons overhead, and some pushing wooden boxes back and forth, while their caregivers just sticked around, watching them with smiles and occasional reminders.
The place vividly came alive with the newly added installations and people enjoying themselves. Days ago, however, this was just an ordinary creative industry park with an empty courtyard, people working inside the offices, residents walking by.
This is the magic brought by the “Tactical Urbanism” Art Installation Workshop, April edition of the OCC Arts Festival.
A group photo of the guests and students at the opening ceremony of the OCC Arts Festival. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
The Workshop is mainly conducted by about 50 students and teachers from the School of Forestry & Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University (SCAU) and directed by Professor Sue Anne Ware, Head of the School of Architecture and Built Environment, the University of Newcastle, Australia. Centering on public participation and art installation, the workshop is to ponder over how to use art as a micro-interventional method of building a better community.
An Arts Symposium of the Workshop was held at the opening ceremony of the Festival on that afternoon at the courtyard of OCC. The participating students in groups of four respectively introduced their art installations, namely Changing Boxes, Ribbon Garden, Vibrant Furniture and Festival, to the guests and visitors. After the introduction, they received comments from the foreign guests who also raised questions about their works to help them think and improve. The foreign guests included Professor Sue Anne Ware, Spanish designer and Design Director at PuBang Design Institute Alex Camprubi, Australian architects and founders of Clare Design Kerry & Lindsey Clare.
Guests view the art installations at the courtyard of OCC. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
All art installations are new elements to the space and do not break anything, said curator Jason Ho, Initiator of Mapping Workshop, Founding Director of Urban Informality Lab, and Creative Director of FEI Architecture. “Please take this space as a community instead of a creative industry park and enjoy yourselves,” said Ho.
People working in the offices came out to enjoy the moment, so did the residents living across the wall beside the park. In addition to this, it is the the participating students who benefited a lot from this workshop and learned more about art, community and life.
Festival team members and a kid enjoy running on the runway of fallen leaves. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Lin Siyan, member of the Festival group, told the reporter that they built a runway out of colorful leaves with the original intention to show the process of leaves turning from green to yellow; unexpectedly, kids love running on the runway; when she asked them why, they said running on leaves of different colors made different sounds; it was a nice surprise for her and her teammates.
“Our initial thoughts might be a little bit idealistic, while tactical urbanism refers to a collection of low-cost, temporary changes intended to improve local neighborhoods, so Sue Anne shared with us her experiences and cases in this field, which showed us a lot what we don’t see before,” said Lin Siyan.
“At the beginning, we were confused and had no idea what we were doing. Sue Anne hoped we could do something more interesting to attract residents across the wall to come here,” told Chen Gengyu, another member of the Festival group, “After we made it, we realized the outcome was unexpectedly amazing. The kids and their parents or grandparents enjoy spending time in this place a lot, and we get acquainted with each other soon. Now when I bump into them on the street, they will say hello to me.”
Kerry Clare (R) talks with a student about the installation. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
“This workshop is of great value to the teaching. Not only have the students recognised the value of community, they have also understood that design is more than working on drawing and design is for people,” said Gao Wei, associate professor of the School of Forestry & Landscape Architecture, SCAU.
As the director of the workshop, Sue Anne spoke highly of the students and their works. She said the students were a little shy at first, but as they got more and more comfortable with the community, they and the community took over, and it really became a collaboration rather than just a little bit of talking and doing something pretty.
Sue Anne (M, front) gives presents to teachers and guests. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Having been staying in China for years, Sue Anne pointed out there are many places in Guangzhou where art can be brought into community and life, and suggested that the next workshop should be in a community, not necessary in a special art place, so as to help the residents rethink their spaces, but also help landscape architects learn about how the residents use the landscape.
A group photo of the guests and students at the opening ceremony of the OCC Arts Festival. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
About OCC Arts Festival
Starting from April till September this year, the six-month long OCC Arts Festival will present a series of local and international art activities at the park, with the intent of building and activating the cultural and artistic atmosphere of the community. The festival is organized by One Creative Community, and curated by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery.
Guests view the art installations at the courtyard of OCC. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Schedule of the festival
April 2017 “Tactical Urbanism” Art Installation Workshop
May 2017 Umbrella Art Installation
June 2017 “Rebirth” International Art Installation Competition
August 2017 Rebirth Art Exhibition
September 2017 Community Art Festival
Add. of OCC: No. 1 Dajiang Street, Binjiang East, Haizhu District, Guangzhou (广州海珠区滨江东大江直街1号邦华·一创社)
The OCC courtyard is decorated with colorful ribbons. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
How to get there:
Take one of the following buses to get to Kecun Interchange (客村立交), then walk about 700 meters to get to OCC; Bus No. 37, 51a, 51, 53, 122a, 122, 130, 131a, 131b, 189, 195, 197, 204, 225, 230, 252, 263, 266, 301a, 303a, 303, 305, 562, 836, 882, b9, etc.
Take one of the following buses to get to Guangzhou Bridge South (广州大桥南), then walk about 500 meters to get to OCC; Bus No. 131b, 204, 225, 266.
Take metro Line 8 and get off at Lujiang station, then walk about 1.6 kilometers to get to OCC; or transfer to Bus No. 767 and get off at Djiang Garden terminal station (大江苑总站), then walk about 100 meters to get there.
Further reading: Introductions of the art installations
A group photo of the Changing Boxes team. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Changing Boxes
Based on that design can’t be separated from the function setting, the installation provides people with somewhere they are willing to rest, chat and play with shading facilities, movable furniture such as chairs and tables, and green plants which are light, quick and cheap. It’s convenient and user-friendly.
There is a balloon space filling with Helium balloon where children can get balloons by standing on tiptoe or jumping. It shows a possibility of spatial aggregation and at the meantime it will lead the children to do more outdoor sports.
Alex Camprubi (R) listens to the members of Changing Boxes team introducing the art installation.[Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
In order to awaken people’s memory of the site as a garment factory and at the meantime not to mix with the ribbon in air, a couple of weaving ways are used to create the top interface. The boxes can be children’s teahouse, or the vip single seat, or maybe the sweet couple seat.
There is also a simple and concise box which provides shading and lighting in solar power. The space inside the box will be rich by combing the movable furniture.
A group photo of the Ribbon Garden team. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Ribbon Garden
Due to the dull and tough color and material of buildings, this project aims to add colorful and soft decoration to the place, to make it bright and cheerful, but not to take its free space, and have beautiful shadow.
The Ribbon Garden could arouse curiosity of kids who come into this site to try to get touch with the ribbons overhead. It also arouses the curiosity of neighborhoods and staffs who take pictures with cheerful smile. Colorful ribbons give a strong sign of something important.
Guests view the ribbons at the courtyard of OCC. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
This ribbon garden can be seen above and below. It will make you relax cheerful. It shows shining sunshine and wind in this site. It changes atmosphere of this site, and you can feel it everywhere.
A group photo of the Vibrant Furniture team. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Vibrant Furniture
This group adds some simple furniture around the existing boring benches on the site. A desk with a sun umbrella and plants are added to provide shade. They all have wheels, so they are also movable.
A little lovely house is built for kids to play, where their behavior is not limited, they can do whatever they want, crawling on the soft cushion, drawing on the black board or just staying inside. Parents or grandparents can look after them easily from the benches.
A member of the Vibrant Furniture team introduces the art installation to guests. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Some desks and plants are added around the benches, to form more vivid atmosphere, so that people are willing to stay around. There, people can buy drinks and sit on the benches, or put their laptops on the desks, working, or just lying on the benches, desk as pillow.
A group photo of the Festival team. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Festival
To attract the community residents to come treasure this place, fallen leaves, tea pots, wine boxes, and little wooden blocks found from the community are placed around the site. The leaves are made into a trail of leaves, and boxes are hung on the wall. Little blocks are put into the boxes as a gifts for children and plants are placed in the tea pot to decorate them.
A kid holding a pink balloon walks on the runway of fallen leaves. [Photo by Monica]
From time to time, flash mob will be held at the site, engaging residents around to come sing and dance together. Besides, leaves, boxes and chairs are painted into pink to go with the theme color of the festival.
Kids have fun to the moveable furniture. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
A little girl plays in the little house built for kids. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
A boy draws on a black board in the little house built for kids. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
A young man sitting on a bench watches his cell phone on a moveable desk. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Guests write on the pink fallen leaves. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Students take a selfie at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Li Fan, Deputy General Manager of Bravo Group, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the festival. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Gao Wei, associate professor of the School of Forestry & Landscape Architecture, SCAU, speaks at the opening ceremony of the festival. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Professor Sue Anne Ware, Head of the School of Architecture and Built Environment, the University of Newcastle, Australia, speaks at the opening ceremony of the festival. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Curator Jason Ho, initiator of China’s Mapping Workshop and a Founding Director of Australia’s Urban Informality Lab, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the festival. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Jiang Fanying, a teacher from the School of Forestry & Landscape Architecture, SCAU, speaks at the opening ceremony of the festival. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Australian architect and founder of Clare Design Lindsey Clare (M) gives comments to the students' work at the Arts Symposium. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
Michelle Ye, founder of Fei Architects & Fei Gallery, takes the floor at the Arts Symposium. [Photo provided by Fei Architects & Fei Gallery]
The courtyard of OCC. [Photo by Monica]
