Artistic meeting point. The city of time for the Aranya Theater Festival by Ma Yansong

It's beach time and festivals, and the architect Ma Yansong has been commissioned to project "The City of Time", the support to design the work of 300 artists from different fields invited to "Migratory Birds 300" (a residence for artists from 300 hours) on the occasion of the Aranya Theater Festival.

The project includes shows, installations, sculptures, body art, performing arts, paintings, and videos, all located in Aranya, China.

The space brings together 300 artists, 131 group works, and 194 works where a creative refuge is offered to the guests and, in turn, a cultural festival for those who visit it. A small fantasy city by the sea is built, with adequate support to develop the essence of theater and art.

The city of time for the Aranya Theater Festival by Ma Yansong. Image courtesy by Aranya Theater Festival, MAD Architects Qi Ziying.

"The City of Time" designed by Ma Yansong, is organized around an axis perpendicular to the sea, in which ellipse groups together different spaces, venues, and settings without decoration, all articulated by a central circle around which an interesting organic labyrinth to collect the works of artists.

The structure emerges from the sand with its own color, creating a route where new artistic projects are discovered, managing to generate an attractive set of experiences with which the visitor discovers and experiences art. Participants include conceptual painter Wang Guangle, visual artist Xiang Jing, and sculptor Liu Huanzhang.

The city of time for the Aranya Theater Festival by Ma Yansong. Image courtesy by Aranya Theater Festival, MAD Architects Qi Ziying.

Project description by Ma Yansong

Taking up the metaphor of avian migration, Migratory Birds 300, a 300-hour artist residency, brings together 300 creators from diverse fields and backgrounds to congregate and co-create by the seaside of Anaya, China. Between June 12 and June 25, Ma Yansong’s The City of Time hosts 300 artists, 131 group works, and 194 works, including shows, installations, sculptures, body art, performance art, paintings, and videos.

The City of Time,
Dissolves after 300 hours.
Revolving around an axis perpendicular to the sea,
It offers a spiritual roost for creators.

In real cities,
The need for functionality suffocates spiritual spaces.
Building a fanciful city by the sea,
Allows the substance of theatre and art,
To breathe natural life into this space.

Taking flight and transcending reality,
It is a place dedicated to time, human behavior, and nature,
Inspiring contemplation on our relationships with ourselves and the world.

The city of time for the Aranya Theater Festival by Ma Yansong. Image courtesy by Aranya Theater Festival, MAD Architects Qi Ziying.

Migratory Birds 300 is perhaps the most romantic, imaginative, and polyphonic of the Aranya Theater Festival programs. As the most widely discussed public art residency project, it unfolds in two venues: Aranya, China, and Regent’s Canal in London, England. The value of Migratory Birds 300 lies not only in the gift of uninterrupted time for creating new work but also in the communal living and work space shared for 300 hours. The residency promotes novel cooperation between previously unacquainted artists, encouraging creators to push the boundaries of their work and complete innovative group works.

The city of time for the Aranya Theater Festival by Ma Yansong. Image courtesy by Aranya Theater Festival, MAD Architects Qi Ziying.The city of time for the Aranya Theater Festival by Ma Yansong. Image courtesy by Aranya Theater Festival, MAD Architects Qi Ziying.

Sketch. The city of time for the Aranya Theater Festival by Ma Yansong.

View more images

Metalocus recommends

Almazara Acesur by Mollinedo Arquitectura. Photograph by Jesús Granada

An integrated and humanized landscape. Almazara Acesur by Mollinedo Arquitectura

Gimnasio de escalada Spluga por Enrico Scaramellini. Fotografía por Marcello Mariana

Prepare to climb. Spluga climbing gym by Enrico Scaramellini

KOI Building by Ortiz Leon Arquitectos. Photograph by David Frutos

A wavy glass skin. KOI Building by Ortiz Leon Arquitectos

More information

Label

Architects

Text

MAD architects. Architect.- Ma Yansong.

Label

Project team

Text

Design Team.- Wang Yiqi, Yang Xuebing.

Label

Collaborators

Text

Aranya Theater Festival Shooting Team.
Zaiye studio.- Wang Zhen, Wang Yong, Chen Ying, An Chen, Hou Xuefei.
Silver salt photosynthesi.- Zhu Shi, Wang Zhe, Liu Xin.

Label

Dates

Text

From June 12 to 25, 2023.

Label

Location

Text

Qinhuangdao, Hebei, Chang Li, China.

Label

Photography

Text

Aranya Theater Festival, MAD Architects Qi Ziying.

MA YANSONG

Beijing-born architect Ma Yansong is recognized as an important voice in a new generation of architects. Since the founding of MAD in 2004, his works in architecture and art have been widely published and exhibited. He graduated from the Beijing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Ma attended Yale University after receiving the American Institute of Architects Scholarship for Advanced Architecture Research in 2001 and holds a masters degree in Architecture from Yale. He has since taught architecture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

Ma Yansong was awarded the 2006 Architecture League Young Architects Award. In 2008 he was selected as one of the twenty most influential Young Architects today by ICON magazine and Fast Company named him one of the ten most creative people in architecture in 2009. In 2010 he became the first architect from China to receive a RIBA fellowship.

“I work with emotion and with the context. When I design a building, I close my eyes and feel as if I saw a virtual world which lays half way between the city, the nature and the land. It goes from large scale to small scale. Many things travel in front of my eyes; I feel them and try to find the way to express my feelings. The language I use is the least important of it all. It does not matter whether they are straight lines, curves... I only intend for people to feel the same or to find something unexpected” says Ma Yansong. “MAD is an attitude, a posture towards architecture, towards society. Through our work we want people to be inspired by a place through local nature, time and space”, he states.

Photo © Daniel J.Allen

Architects MAD

MAD Office, Beijing, China. MAD is a Beijing-based architecture design office dedicated to creating innovative projects. The firm combines a sophisticated design philosophy with advanced technology in addressing and furthering issues in contemporary architecture and urbanity.

The firm has been the recipient of numerous awards including the 2006 Architectural League of New York's Young Architects Forum Award.

MAD's ongoing projects include the international competition-winning Absolute Tower in Toronto, Canada; The Tianjin Sinosteel International Plaza, a 320M tall tower in Tianjin, China; the Mongolian Museum in Inner Mongolia, China, and a private villa in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The firm has also won numerous international design competitions, including the 2006 Absolute Tower Competition in Toronto; the 2005 Solar Plaza Competition in Guangzhou, China, and the 2004 Shanghai National Software Outsourcing Base.

MAD's work has been published worldwide, and the office has also presented its designs in a series of exhibitions. In 2006, MAD was shown at the ‘MAD in China' exhibition in Venice during the Architecture Biennial, and the ‘MAD Under Construction' exhibition at the Tokyo Gallery in Beijing. In March of 2007, MAD will be shown at ‘MAD.exe' an exhibition at the Danish Architecture Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Ma Yansong, Yosuke Hayano and Qun Dand.