Archi.ru:
How were you invited to teach architecture in China? And why did you agree to this proposal?
Vladimir Belogolovsky:
– I just couldn't help but agree - it was so tempting, and now I can say that I am very pleased with this unique experience. Most of all I do not like to plan anything in life. Therefore, I am always open to a variety of circumstances. Over the past few years, I have presented about a dozen of my exhibition projects in China and have had many opportunities to meet local architects and educators. During one of these meetings, my interlocutor, a renowned architect and professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Li Xiaodong, drew attention to my analytical style of conversation and, knowing about my books and exhibitions, directly suggested to me: “Do you want to teach ? " I was a little puzzled and even admitted that I had never taught before. He replied that this is not a problem, since he sees that I can teach. And then he added: "Yes or no?" I immediately agreed. In general, when I am offered something, I try not to refuse, because they may not be offered any more. Only after we agreed on my teaching at his department, I asked: what, in fact, am I going to do? Reviewing my books with interviews, he said that I can teach seminars on personal approaches in architecture. He realized that I was interested in this and that I had enough material to teach on my own.
What is this curriculum? For which students is it intended - is it a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, is it open to everyone or only to citizens of the PRC? Is it difficult to enter there, is the competition great?
- This is a master's program for students from all over the world. In total, there were 29 students from 18 countries. But ten of these students are from China: they were all born in the PRC, but as a child they left with their parents to Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, etc. But two-thirds are "real" foreigners. One student was from Russia, but there was not a single American. It is clear that the teaching was in English, but the students also studied Chinese and traditional architecture. The competition for studying in China for foreigners is very large, but still not as much as for the Chinese when entering their universities; This competition can be ten times higher than in the most prestigious US universities.
What course did you teach? What did you most want to teach future architects - and why?
– I taught a subject that I myself always wanted to learn and devote my life to - architectural design. Who would have thought that after 12 years of architectural practice, I would leave - for ten years now - in the creation of exhibitions and criticism, and return to design as a professor. Of course, I did not go to Tsinghua for the sake of students, but for my own experience. I was curious about this, and I went to every meeting with my students as if it were a holiday.
I lived among students, on campus - in the faculty building, in a separate apartment, with service like a hotel. It was very interesting as I had never had such experience before.
The main thing for me was to understand what, in fact, is going on in the minds of these young people, and what I could learn from them myself. After all, it is clear that no master's degree is needed to become an architect. I often pointed this out to them. I think students need to solve a simple and at the same time difficult question - who am I and who do I want to become? And who knows if they will become architects? I have chosen a different path for myself. It is necessary to determine the vector of development, which can often change during life. As for the profession itself, it can be mastered in the workplace. Earning a master's degree to complete another project is wasted time and wasted money.
There were two projects for the semester - the design in pairs of a new facility on the campus at will and an independent project of the new building of the Faculty of Architecture in place of the old one. Students were divided into several groups, and we listened to their presentations and then criticized their projects, and we encouraged students to participate in these discussions. During these debates, I often put students - and teachers alike - in front of questions that they could not find quick answers to. It was obvious that this was annoying them, but we always learned something from such conversations. It was very interesting for me, and I had a special position, because I do not depend on anyone at all. I am on my own and can really say what I think.
In addition to discussions, I held a series of seminars in which I talked about the specific approaches of the world's leading architects and gave the students to listen to excerpts from my conversations with some of these masters. This always works very well when what I say is not just chatter, but backed up by what Foster, Siza, Eisenman or Libeskind told me personally. Together we tried to analyze different identities in architecture. The main thing was not to impose a certain point of view, but to conduct an open discussion. When our first lesson ended, all the students stayed where they were. Then I asked: "Does someone need to leave?" - but no one budged, and we talked for another hour and a half until it was necessary to empty the room for the next lesson.
How was the work with students organized? What is the difference between the educational process in China and architecture universities in the West? Are there any components there that should be adopted in other countries?
– Work with students was structured according to the Western principle, Tsinghua is the leading university in China, it is even called the Chinese Harvard. Of course, there is no such level of comfort and openness as in American universities, where, by the way, US citizens are very often in the minority - both among students and among teachers. There is no fast Internet, there are no American libraries, museums with constantly updated exhibitions, there is no world-class architecture on campus, there are not so many leading practitioners among teachers and, in general, the richness of the life that fosters innovative thinking. Students do not have their own fixed place, they do not have the most advanced machines and laboratories, there is no choice of materials for the construction of models - there is still a lot of things there. Students have a rigid meal schedule, etc. But still, this experience is very rewarding. And I would have adopted from them incredible ambitions and desire to build everything better than everyone else. I have been in China since 2003 and from time to time I can observe an incredible movement forward. In many places it is already a highly developed country.
Visiting different countries and getting to know different people and traditions, we become richer both culturally and professionally. For example, the idea of a traditional Chinese house is very interesting. Everything is the other way around there: there are no facades, all rooms face the courtyard. Until now, such houses are built up in central Beijing. Along the noisy avenues, there are rows of high-rise buildings supporting the sky, and if you go inside the quarter, there are hutongs, one-story houses with a system of courtyards. In the center of a giant metropolis, a resident of such a hutong, going out into his yard and lifting his head up, can enjoy his own piece of the sky. Such an unusual concept can greatly influence the creation of a completely new type of private housing. The more we get acquainted with new ideas, the more we reflect on what we already know, and this pushes us to discover.
Have you learned from teaching something new, useful for your other projects?
– Of course! First of all, these are new acquaintances, proposals to make new exhibition projects and publications together. If somewhere in response to my suggestions I hear: “Yes, this is interesting. We need to think ", then in China they tell me:" When can this project be brought here? " In addition, I received two more offers to teach - in Beijing and Shenzhen. But this time I refused, since my family lives in New York, and one such long separation was enough. Perhaps in the future we will be able to take advantage of a similar offer and go there all together.
In addition to teaching, I traveled extensively around the country, visited many innovative sites and interviewed a dozen leading architects in Shanghai and Beijing. I hope this work will result in a book and a number of exhibitions. So, in March my exhibition of the voices of five Chinese and five American architects will take place in Shanghai. I discussed it with my students and they helped me a lot in working on the concept and design.
Who were your fellow professors? Are there many foreigners there, who among them and the Chinese teachers prevail - practicing architects, researchers and critics, "professional" teachers?
– There were eight of us professors. Besides me, an American, the teachers were from Germany, Holland and Japan. The rest are Chinese, including Li Xiaodong, a married couple who lived in New York for about 20 years, and another architect who previously taught at Harvard. I also invited my friends who teach at Yale University to one of the discussions, since they were in Beijing at that time. For the final discussion, we were joined by two young architects, both graduates of Tsinghua, successfully running their own offices in Beijing. Many teachers are practitioners.
Is the status of the profession of an architect in the country high, in your experience and impressions? Is it considered prestigious and profitable?
– Judging by my conversations with local architects, ordinary people have little idea of what they do. In general, the profession of an architect in China is young, since for centuries buildings were assembled according to the principle of a constructor according to very detailed reference books. Architecture has always been more of a skill than an art there, and it was only in the mid-1990s that the first independent workshops began to appear, where the practice is carried out according to the Western model.
I met with Yun Ho Chan, who is called the father of modern Chinese architecture. Educated in the United States, he opened his own office in Beijing in 1993. It is believed that his workshop was the first independent in the PRC. Prior to that, all architects worked either in state design institutes of the Soviet model, or in municipalities, or in universities. Many people work there to this day. As for wages, salaries are very low, but by opening your own office, you can earn very good money, and there are really rich people among architects.
Many independent architects who strive to create interesting architecture follow one of two models. In the first case, a profitable business such as a restaurant or hotel is opened, and this supports the architectural practice. And in the second case, projects are divided into two categories - large and profitable, on the one hand, and small and subsidized ones, on the other. The first group of projects makes money and makes it possible to take on innovative projects, albeit often unprofitable. Of course, there are also hybrid projects, but many private bureaus work exactly according to this scheme. And the institutes are engaged in exclusively large commercial projects, only a small part of which can be attributed to innovative. Therefore, architecture remains a marginal product, and it is not worth talking about it as something that can change our life for the better. For most people, architecture remains a mystery, and for me it is primarily art, but we will argue about that.
