Venue design

Selected by the UABB organizing committee as the main venue for the “Eyes of the City” section, the Futian high-speed railway station might seem at first like a challenging location for a Biennale exhibition. It represents one of China’s leading mobility hubs and it is part of one of the world’s most extensive underground spaces, traversed by hundreds of thousands of people every week. Since September 2018, it is possible to travel southwards from Futian station to Hong Kong in about 15 minutes – in a journey that prefigures the impending fusion of the two cross-border cities.

The exhibition reacts to this unusual setting by pursuing a design strategy that aims to attract an audience not necessarily accustomed – or even interested – in visiting a Biennale about urbanism and architecture. By adopting a zigzagging spatial layout devoid of clear gateways as well as by mimicking the flamboyant visual language of duty-free shops (developed by the Dutch graphic designer Mieke Gerritzen), the exhibition aims to expose station users to the ambiguity of “Eyes of the City” scenarios. The station becomes a space where visitors cannot escape art – and where functions and experiences get hybridized.

Ultimately, this unusual venue stands out as the natural home for the “Eyes of the City”. As digital technology increasingly permeates our cities, railway stations are one of the public spaces that are likely to experience the strongest shift. For a long time, stations have been places where one could experience urban anonymity at its highest form. Already today, they are becoming examples of a built environment that is able to recognize and respond to us in real time. In stations as well as in airports, we can already observe what an “Eyes of the City” scenario might look like and start a critical reflection about it.

In this spirit, a specially-made technological system will permeate the space inside the Futian high-speed station. Visitors will be facially scanned upon accessing the exhibition through the two info points designed by MVRDV on opposite ends of the venue. The system will work in a transparent manner and camera locations will be highlighted throughout the space. Visitors who wish to opt out will wear a special sticker – designed by Benjamin Aranda and Sam Keene of The Cooper Union and their students – to bypass sensors and remain anonymous, signaling their stance to others.

福田高铁站被深双组委会选为“城市之眼”板块的主展场，初看这个车站，对于一个双年展来说似乎是极具挑战性的地方。它是中国领先的交通枢纽，也是世界上最宽敞的地下空间之一，每周都有成千上万的人经过这里。自2018年9月以来，15分钟内从福田站南下到香港成为可能，这一旅程预示着两个跨境城市即将融合。

该展览通过特殊的设计策略来应对这种不寻常的设定，旨在吸引那些未必习惯城市和建筑双年展，甚至对此不感兴趣的人来参观。展览采用了锯齿形的空间布局，没有明确的走道，且模仿了免税店华丽的视觉语言（由荷兰平面设计师Mieke Gerritzen开发），从而给车站使用者呈现“城市之眼”场景的模糊性。车站变成了一个游客无法逃离艺术的空间，在这里功能和体验得到交融。

最终，这个不寻常的场所跃然成为“城市之眼”的天然家园。随着数字技术日益渗透到我们的城市中，火车站是最有可能经历重大转变的公共空间之一。长久以来，车站一直是人们可以体验城市匿名性的最高形式的地方。如今，它们已经成为建成环境中能够对我们进行实时识别并做出响应的典范。在车站和机场，我们已经可以观察到“城市之眼”的场景，并开始对它进行批判性的反思。

本着这种精神，特别设计的技术系统将渗透福田高铁站的空间。参观者通过MVRDV建筑设计事务所设计的场馆两端的两个资讯站进入展馆后，将被进行面部扫描。该系统会以透明的方式工作，摄像头会在整个空间内突出显示。选择退出的参观者可在脸上佩戴一个特殊的标记，以绕过传感器来保持匿名，借此向其他人表明自己的立场。