Through the support of the Taipei Representative Office in the U.K., three films produced by Taiwan’s Public Television Service are set to feature in the London Festival of Architect’s (LFA) online program, which will run throughout the month of June.
Echoing the festival’s theme of "care" this year, the three films introduce how the Taiwanese architects have begun rediscovering the hidden contexts of the urban landscape through documentation and research, re-examining the relationship between "house" and "home" for communities through activism, and reflecting on the essence of modern architecture by returning to collaborative tribal traditions after the shock of natural disasters.
Inspired by temples in Taiwan, architect Lai Po-wei (賴伯威) and his team spent seven years recording 108 types of 'parasitic' temples that are attached to modern buildings. "Parasitic Temples: A Record of a City Adapting to Survive (寄生之廟)," explores the relationship between the temple, the city and natural environment from an architectural perspective.
"In the Spotlight: The Toad Mountain Settlement & Her Friends (蟾蜍山聚落與她的朋友們)" documents part of Huanmin New Village on Taipei’s Toad Mountain, which were demolished to make way for a new high-rise development. It aims to restore a sense of community and infuse new energy into the village.
"Hsieh Ying-Chun: Tribal Architecture for the People (謝英俊: 從部落而生的人民建築)" explores the work and philosophy of Hsieh Ying-Chun, an architect who dedicated himself to rebuilding disaster zones in the wake of the Chi Chi Earthquake in 1999.
The London Festival of Architecture began in 2004, and has since grown to become the world’s largest annual architecture festival. The festival attracts a vast public audience – well over 800,000 people in 2019 – and a global media audience of millions.
For more information, please visit the London Festival of Architecture website: https://www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org/2021-festival-launch/