Everyone experiences a certain space differently. As we go through time, this experience becomes distinct and unique to each individual. Yet time and space also collects. It gathers us into certain moments that define humanity's collective existence. Our exhibition entitled "fragments" focuses on these moments and how they are reflected in the built environment. It illustrates how Manila as a city has fragmented through time and how these fragments have collected into individual communities that demonstrate distinct identities.
As more and more of humanity moves into the cities, new neighborhoods and master planned communities are constantly being created throughout the world, especially in the fast-growing megacities of Asia. These "communities" or "neighborhoods" constantly demonstrate a very homogeneous and repetitive identity and reflect the thinking that dominates the current model of top-down planning and design.
We believe that Manila along with other similar hodgepodge megacities can demonstrate an opposing method of how cities can grow. That while chaotic and often troubled, the communities here that have grown through time define and adopt the spaces that they occupy. These spaces which have collected at times but mostly fragmented are a collection of individual ideas and whims which reflect today's increasingly fragmented though connected humanity.
This exhibition provides a study on these growth and fragmentation patterns and how they can be used as tools in planning the cities of tomorrow. We believe that communities are richer when they are less defined by statutes or limitations. That distinct architecture as reflected in singular spaces at particular points in time can create or initiate urban characteristics that are unique and unplanned.
Our exhibition is a sample of the urban fragments upon which we have worked on. It is a collection of experiences we have encountered in our work in and around Manila and the lessons or ways we have used architecture to build on the characteristics we feel are needed. In the table map, we provide 3-dimensional maps of the communities in which we have built and how we hope we can influence the growth pattern and identity of these communities. In Little Baguio, San Juan, we provide alternative spaces for urban living as well as accommodate existing market forces and needs. In Binondo and Bonifacio Global City, we encounter neighborhoods where density is growing tremendously and we try to explore how we can tackle this both vertically and horizontally. These table maps are a samplingtake from the greater metropolis and are the fragments that make up and define the city. These maps shall also try to capture the sounds and smells of the neighborhood and bring them to the exhibition. We hope to work with composers and scent makers to better allow us to complete the experience of being in these communities. The audial and olfactory along with the visual experience of say a cavernous hall or a green field better defines the spatial experience and allows us to further illustrate the importance of character. Part of our exhibit is also about how we can translate these lessons and experiences into strategies for urban development. We identify and elaborate the tools that we can pick up from Manila and how they can contribute to the global zeitgeist. What sort of policies or guidelines could be used to create more articulated communities? How do we create richer and more diverse communities? How can chaos be beautiful? And if chaos is beautiful, how can order be made richer and more human? Our exhibit explores these questions and tries to find a viable contribution to the future of our cities.
