TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Finnish architect Marco Casagrande is not only an environmental artist who has dedicated himself to green building projects, as he has visited Taiwan for several times, he is also an explorer of ruins in Taiwan that are often left forgotten by city dwellers.
The exhibition, “Marco Casagrande: Who Cares, Wins the Third Generation City”, started on April 21 at the Jut Art Museum (忠泰美術館) presents a variety of projects Casagrande has undertaken since 1999, including building models, sketches, photos, and installations.
The exhibition surrounds the idea of “The Third Generation”, proposed by Casagrande as to envision a future world where human beings, nature, and cities can co-exist harmoniously.
The exhibition, “Marco Casagrande: Who Cares, Wins the Third Generation City” (Photo courtesy of the Jut Art Museum)
The idea seems to have originated from his first visit to Taiwan in 2003. While he toured around the Treasure Hill in Taipei, a former military dependent’s village now half inhabited by local people and half transformed into artists’ studios and public spaces, Casagrande saw how residents built their houses and irrigation systems with materials at hand and set up farms in a big city as Taipei.
In addition, the exhibition also includes a few projects Casagrande has conducted in the ruins around Taiwan over the years, including the Ruin Academy in Taipei. For this project, Casagrande led a team of young enthusiasts to regenerate a four-floor house in Ximen which was to be torn down soon.
According to the museum, the exhibition also showcases the architect’s studio. Built by Casagrande himself, visitors will be able to see how the architect works in such a studio and comes up with unique design and works.
The exhibition will run through August 5.
The exhibition, “Marco Casagrande: Who Cares, Wins the Third Generation City” (Photo courtesy of the Jut Art Museum)
