design42day

As one of the many highlights of 2011 Beijing Design Week & the First Beijing International Design Triennial, an exhibition on Australian Urbanism named “Now and When” is going to show different perspectives on the future of the cities, encouraging the public to reflect upon this issue.

Consisting of two parts, “Now” and “When”, presents its unique visions about cities’ future with the help of 3D stereoscopic technology. A 2D film, which adopts intriguing sound effect, stereoscopic shooting and computer visual technology, is also part of the exhibition. “Now and When: Australian Urbanism” represented Australia at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010. It probes deeply into problems facing the highly-urbanized Australian population, such as sustainability, urbanization, climate change and immigration.

“Now” contains a set of 3D aerial photos shot from helicopter, portraying views of the coastal cities in east Australia like Melbourne, Sidney and the Gold Coast, while its counterpoints include the huge pits of the remote mining areas in the west part of the country. The photos vividly present Australia’s splendid cities and natural environment: Sydney, the paradise of surfers, Melbourne and the mines in west Australia. “When” dispalys 17 approaches to future cities construction, boldly imagining what urban landscape will be like in 2050 and beyond. This part of the exhibition, is also the result of a national competition. Breaking away from the restrain of rules and design boundaries, Australian designers use their imagination at will and bring up new design ideas. Though somehow problematic, these ideas have a poetic, optimistic and subversive nature. Simulating the future with surrealistic stereoscopic images, “When” explore the possibility of architecture as an urban art form of performance.