Bamboo Biennale in Baoxi
John Hill
13. abril 2017
Three Hostels, Anna Heringer (Photo: Julien Lanoo)
Although we missed the inaugural International Bamboo Architecture Biennale last September, when eighteen works of architecture made of bamboo went on display in the village of Baoxi in China's Zhejiang province, we are grateful to photographer Julien Lanoo for documenting some of the stunning projects.
Baoxi is located west of Longquan City, which, according to the website of the International Bamboo Architecture Biennale, "still retains a lot of traditional handcrafts which blend the past and the present together." In particular, "the main industries of making celadon [glazed pottery] and swords and the processing of bamboo & wood drives the local economic development." Curated by local artist Ge Qiantao and architect George Kunihiro, the Biennale is an intentional contrast to the large-scale concrete buildings that litter the Chinese landscape. Refreshingly, all of the contributions were built as permanent additions to the village of Baoxi.
International Bamboo Architecture Biennale site plan (Image: Screenshot from www.bamboocommune.com)
The curators oversaw eighteen projects designed by a dozen architects (including themselves), with many notable names: Anna Herringer, Kengo Kuma, Vo Trong Nghia, Li Xiaodong, and Simon Velez, to name a few. Keisuke Maeda's UID architects contributed one of the numerous projects that unite bamboo architecture with the area's traditional ceramics.
Although overshadowed by the Venice Architecture Biennale last year, the International Bamboo Architecture Biennale may have a greater impact, especially as photos by Lanoo and others bring more attention to the remote village's great collection of bamboo architecture. Most certainly, the Biennale's next iteration will not be overlooked.
Bridge, Ge Qiantao (Photo: Julien Lanoo)
Visit Julien Lanoo's profile on Belgium-Architects to see more of the International Bamboo Architecture Biennale – with more on Lanoo's own website.
