Zhang Xiaoyi

    417880236@qq.com

    A TALK on renewable city was held at iD TOWN, an art space converted from a dye factory that went bankrupt in 2003 in Dapeng New Area last Friday. Before the talk a tour inside the art space was led by He Jianxiang, the keynote speaker. Dozens joined the event.

    Guest speaker Yang Qian, who is also a freelance artist, playwright and charity advocate, believed that the yardstick of a good city is whether everyone has a chance to develop, and the places that most fit this description in Shenzhen are urban villages.

    He, founder of O Architects, which designed iD TOWN, said urban development and preservation of history can exist at the same time, and it is better to view the two concepts outside of a dualist point of view. He agreed that values shape one’s opinion on city and architecture, saying that “old” doesn’t mean good necessarily.

    According to He, the key to urban development and renovation is to find a practical balance in running a city.

    Liang Tian, another guest speaker and the art space’s chief operator, said that iD TOWN is currently managed like a community, different from other art spaces like OCT-LOFT in Nanshan District. He said the most vital thing to an art space lies in what the designers and the art space can achieve together.

    “It should be bilateral, your question is still unilateral (which only concerns the effort made by an art space),” said Liang, in response to a question about how to maintain openness in an art space.

    According to He, iD TOWN is unique in its own way, since it’s located in a relatively remote place in the city. It will generate different experiences compared to OCT-LOFT, which is right in the heart of the city. Liang remarked that some people might not like OCT-LOFT, but there is a reason for the way it is set up.

    Liang stressed the importance of viewing art spaces from multiple angles, pointing out that he was once an artist and now administers the iD TOWN area.

    The tour led the event’s participants to iD TOWN’s main structure, a youth hostel transformed from an old dormitory building. According to He, the renovation of the old plant is a conversation between the old and the new.

    The structure of the plant is old, but the art inside is new, He expressed.

    iD TOWN was built in 1989 and renovated in 2013. Covering around 80,000 square meters, iD TOWN won an award during the World Architecture Festival in 2015. Friday’s event was organized by Shenzhen Center for Design.He Jianxiang