Building foundations with imagination
Celebrated architect's exhibition showcases a unique style, Xu Haoyu reports.
"These elements don't fit the conventional definition of architecture, but I found it's more intriguing to place them within bubbles, creating the illusion of them floating in midair. Stepping into this area feels like entering a dream world that is light and ethereal," he says.
Ma has always been drawn to the sensation of floating, drifting, and breaking free from the confines of the ground. Even in his earliest student assignments, he created projects that seemed to float in the sky.
"People would ask, 'how do your pieces stay suspended like that? Where is the structure?' To be honest, I didn't always have the answers, but it seems like I've always been in pursuit of a feeling of freedom and escape from the constraints of the ground. It's as if being tethered to the earth is a problem that can be solved by achieving this sense of weightlessness," he adds.
The section makes the statement that architecture is not just about walls and floors, it's about space, it exists within the atmosphere and perception it creates.
"The reality is not about existence but sensation," Ma claims.
The fourth chapter showcases 12 projects, including Beijing 2050, Hutong Bubble 32, and the Cloudscape of Haikou, among others. It constructs a symphony of urban fantasies on-site, with each piece reflecting the architect's thoughts and criticism of urban reality.
