The Complete Map of Beijing
2021 Spring
Beijing, China
Memory, wonder, and imagination of capital Beijing
The Complete Map of Capital Beijing is a courageous experiment that reinterprets copycatting architecture. Through discovering the distinctive Beijing architectural character, ambiance, and charisma in the most diversified vernacular construction (hutong and old residential neighborhoods), the map is a re-representation of form, material, and time of architecture. The design "Meow Temple" combines low style, details of folk temples collected during fieldwork, and high style, features in Gottfried Bohm's Neviges Mariendom, by using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to reimagine a possible maquette to expose the corruption of contemporary temples.
These anti-utopian models will redefine the stereotypical spatial paradigm of Chinese imperialism as they spread across the map. Returning people to the practice of vernacular culture, customs, and contexts after they have become fixated on the grand narrative constructed by centralized power.
Collaborate with Drawing Architecture Studio