INSTANT CULTURE BOOK

INSTANT CULTURE: ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM AS A COLLECTIVE PROCESS

Hong Kong’s rapid transformation has produced a culture of the “instant,” where desires, market forces, global-local exchanges, technologies, and a need for immediate gratification dominate our cultural landscape and social behaviors. This book brings together a multitude of voices from the design, architecture, and arts community to examine this situation as a general provocation. What kinds of contemporary conditions unique to Asia can elevate ways of rethinking social sustainability in various forms?

With a collective spirit of experimentation, the projects, installations, and essays within the book are committed to cultural and creative enhancement to build productive dialogues. From outlining educational initiatives to debates that encourage cross over, this study reformulates a critical reframing of the role of architecture and urbanism as tools and processes for cultural advocacy for Hong Kong and China.

Book details:

Instant Culture: Architecture and Urbanism as a Collective Process

Edited by Eric Schuldenfrei and Marisa Yiu

W250mm x H160mm; 480 pages. Full-color.

Hardback; English

ISBN 978-988-18584-8-1

For “instant” online purchase please go to MCCM Creations.

Book includes writings and contributions by Shigeru Ban, Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten, Lars Nittve, Raymond Fung, Stan Allen, Daniel Chua, MAP office, Tao Zhu, Ackbar Abbas, Paul Katz, Andrew Lee, Xu Bing, John Batten, Dan Wood, Amale Andraos, Rocco Yim, KS Wong, Eric Schuldenfrei, Marisa Yiu and many more. The book also catalogs the exhibitions and events including educational tours and forum highlights that took place during the Hong Kong –Shenzhen Bi-City biennale located at the future West Kowloon cultural district. Themes are organized around topics of cultural advocacy, social sustainability, education, participatory protocols and future creative urban infrastructure.

Architects-designers Eric Schuldenfrei and Marisa Yiu are Founding Partners of ESKYIU, a design collaborative integrating culture, community and technology founded in New York and based in Hong Kong. They won the Architectural League prize in 2010 and have been active in exhibitions internationally. Eric Schuldenfrei and Marisa Yiu along with Alan Lo and Frank Yu were curators of the 2009 Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism \ Architecture.

Publication supported by

Hong Kong Arts Development Council

Additional support by

Hong Kong Institute of Architects and generous individuals

Featured Reviews:

February 2012, DESIGN BOOM featured a book review on “Instant Culture” AND INTERVIEW of editors: Eric Schuldenfrei and Marisa Yiu. Details here.

January 2012, WALLPAPER magazine featured a book review on “Instant Culture” by Ellie Stathaki. Details here.

November 2011, TIME OUT featured a book interview and review “Culture in an instant” on 21 Nov 2011 by Matt Fleming. Details here

November 2011, MPW Magazine featured an interview and review “Instant as Hong Kong style”. Details here

Information

Books publication at www.mccmcreations.com

Book Launch Event

Venue supported by KAPOK, Hong Kong.

The editors of INSTANT CULTURE and publisher MCCM Creations hosted an informal gathering for the book’s launch. Professor Raymond Fung,  architect and Lars Nittve, Executive Director, M+  joined as guests of honor to launch the book and celebrate with friends, artists, designers, architects and contributors to the book and the HK SZ Bi-City Biennale exhibition.

Date: Saturday, 5 Nov 2011 

Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm

          6pm Opening remarks by Lars Nittve and Raymond Fung 

Location: Kapok (G/F, 3 Sun St., Wan Chai)