Taiwan
Artists: Chien-Chi Chang, Chen Chieh-Jen, Hsieh Ying-Chun, Cheng-Ta Yu. Commissioner: Fang-Wei Chang. Palazzo delle Prigioni.
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Mutual Subject: What to Be Done
1999-ongoing
Hsieh Ying-Chun (* 1954) is a Taiwanese architect who for years has worked under tremendous budget limitations to provide minorities and disadvantaged members of society with collaborative construction. Hsieh is known for the low-key approach he takes to various architectural projects for clients. More than an architect, Hsieh is an architectural activist who takes social, cultural and economic limitations and ecological concerns into consideration to create works that embody the ideals of “sustainable construction”. Hsieh Ying-Chun opposes modernist division of labour and classification. Taking a unique perspective on architectural aesthetics, he brings together local materials and residents in direct and effective fashion, reducing reliance on financing and taking an eco-friendly approach to projects. In addition to working on reconstruction projects following Taiwan's devastating earthquake of 21 September 1999, Hsieh has worked extensively on construction projects in rural China (such as latrines that separate faeces and urine). He is currently assisting China in the country's reconstruction efforts after the Sichuan earthquake of 12 May 2008. As both an architect and an individual, Hsieh puts architecture into action beyond local limitations, taking up the mantle of “foreign relations” through direct deeds.
© Photo: Haupt & Binder
Artists: Chien-Chi Chang, Chen Chieh-Jen, Hsieh Ying-Chun, Cheng-Ta Yu. Commissioner: Fang-Wei Chang. Palazzo delle Prigioni.