Asialink

Public Lecture - Asian Mega-cities.. and what is a City?

Event Name Public Lecture - Asian Mega-cities.. and what is a City?
Start Date 23rd Feb 2012 6:30pm
End Date 23rd Feb 2012 8:00pm
Duration 1 hour and 30 minutes
Description

What is a City?


 People going to work in the crowded Shanghai subway

Against the backdrop of Asia’s mega cities, Michael Yuen guides us through the complexities of the contemporary Asian city. Within today’s cities of flux, we find rapidly changing social structures and built environments with no clear direction. In them, Michael tells us it is not enough to merely describe and document, but rather it is important to find tools for acting. Michael has given talks in Europe, China and Australia expressing our need for new ideas for the contemporary city, especially the new Asian city. Dismantling and attacking urban theory from the last sixty years from Debord to Koolhaus, Michael searches for new terms for the city in art, architecture, philosophy and city planning. Then, he points to possible futures for the Asian mega city.
 


About Michael Yuen - www.michaelyuen.com.au

 Michael Yuen in his hometown Adelaide

 

 

 

 

Michael Yuen is an Australian artist working across a range of mediums including sound, light and performance. Over the past years, Michael has divided his time equally between Australia and China, and in both environments, his works have investigated the nature of cities and public space through events and interventions.
His works have been selected for exhibitions and projects with Zendai Museum of Modern Art (Shanghai), Australian Centre for the Moving Image (Melbourne), Hong Kong Shenzhen Biennale of Architecture, Adelaide Festival of Arts, SSamzie Space (Seoul), Beijing 798 Biennale, Beijing Modern Dance Company, Freies Museum (Berlin), Beijing Contemporary Art Fair and MODEM Centre of Contemporary Art (Hungry). He has served as a peer for InterArts and Music Boards at the Australia Council and received Ruby Litchfield and AsiaLink awards.

Since moving to Beijing, not satisfied with the prevailing thinking on urbanism, Michael begun lecturing about new ideas for city under the broad heading: What is a City? Recently, lectures include Jan Matejko Academy Krakow, Willem de Kooning Academie Rotterdam, De Player Rotterdam, Bauhaus-Universität and Liszt School of Music Weimar, Love Vienna, and C-Space Beijing.
 
DATE:
   Thursday 23 February 2012
TIME:
   6.30pm - 8.00pm
VENUE:
   Yasuko Hiraoka Myer Room, Sidney Myer Asia Centre
The University of Melbourne
(Cnr Swanston Street and Monash Road, Parkville)
REGISTER:

Register Online - Registrations close Monday 20 February 2012

 

'This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.'

 

Australia Council for the Arts