| My proposal to research the civic role of public sculpture in China was the basis for the Australia-China Council artist in residency in Beijing. This research was to inform my new work for “Critical Mass,” an Australia-China exhibition to be held in Sydney and Beijing during the Olympics in 2008 (curated by Binghui Huangfu, of the Casula Powerhouse in Sydney Australia). Tianjin was chosen as primary research site, as its civic infrastructure was more accessible than that of its bigger sister, Beijing, only 100 or so kilometres away. Also, the city layout itself seemed to be better understood by the research assistants involved, as they themselves have been residents there for at least 3 years.
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Civic Culture Spotting: Tainjin – Laurens Tan
My proposal to research the civic role of public sculpture in China was the basis for the Australia-China Council artist in residency in Beijing. This research was to inform my new work for “Critical Mass,” an Australia-China exhibition to be held in Sydney and Beijing during the Olympics in 2008 (curated by Binghui Huangfu, of the Casula Powerhouse in Sydney Australia).
Tianjin was chosen as primary research site, as its civic infrastructure was more accessible than that of its bigger sister, Beijing, only 100 or so kilometres away. Also, the city layout itself seemed to be better understood by the research assistants involved, as they themselves have been residents there for at least 3 years.
The city of Tianjin is a focus of attention for the Central Government of China as a key development municipality, and along the BoHai Sea is the TangGu Economic Development Area (TEDA), its new shining star. This coastal metropolis of 10 million is China’s third largest city and will be Beijing’s partner city in hosting the 2008 Olympics.
The current boom in the city’s development presents an obvious cultural dilemma for Tianjin (as with Beijing) as it comes to grips with its identity—how it perceives and develops its self image. Architecture in the city and in the developing outlying areas articulates the economic climate and the promise of a new world. Adventurous in spirit, the new facades and silhouettes are sometimes excessive in their expression of form beyond function. But, the quest to cultural expansion clearly starts here. The towering edifices are omnipresent and serve as a reminder to the people as to where their city is headed. Foreign architects are engaged in numerous projects to vitalise a refreshed environmental discourse, and the new constructions make explicit an admission to global design technologies.
Sections of the metropolis have the strong presence of European architecture, a relic of its past with concessions made in the mid 1800s when it became a treaty port to many nations in Europe, Russia, the United States and Japan. The European flavour is dominant in many locations and appears to be accepted as part of Tianjin’s heritage. Preservation of its past European influences makes for delightful walks through parts of the inner city-as-museum. New developments here are duplicating Parisian and Austrian statues, sculptures and adornments to set the mood. It is rather Disney-esque in its demeanour in that it emulates other places with its distinctly familiar, borrowed icons ornamenting the bridges, riversides and residential developments.
Tianjin has none of the contemporary cultural infrastructure that is so vibrant in Beijing, but there are strong signs of change. Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts’ new, five-story gallery (Tian Wei Lu, HeBei District) is particularly imposing as an authoritative cultural edifice. In the tradition of national museums, it is a superlative exhibition centre—a classically proportioned and well-designed contemporary space. There are two new commercial contemporary galleries in the city—the DingTian and the HuiTai Art Centres. The latter opened its doors downtown by the HaiHe River this September. Both are pioneers with serious intent.
The most effective agents to consider within Tianjin’s contemporary milieu are the Schools of Art, Design and Architecture at the universities. Both the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and the Hebei University of Technology recently celebrated their centenaries—TAFA on September 26 of this year and HUT back in 2003, with the renowned Nankai University not far behind. There are several other higher education institutions sprinkled across the metropolis, offering technology and culture studies.
Preservation of traditional Chinese arts is a logical preoccupation in the education centres in China, as students exchange views on their plight in the context of their cultural futures. Apart from the language and customs, the traditional arts are keystones in defining what is Chinese. The desire for acknowledgement within the international contemporary arena brings a dilemma to those exponents of the traditional if they too wish to partake in this game.
