Xiangning Li, deputy dean and professor of history, theory and criticism at Tongji University College of Architecture and Urban Planning, will discuss contemporary Chinese architecture in terms of its increasing focus on interior space and matter and the return of “memory.” Can these be understood as critiques of the “iconic turn” the country’s architecture has suffered in recent decades? Is this reaction an antidote to the Western corporate/formalist “virus”? Could it be an interesting argument opposing any conservative response to the internal aim for a “normal” architecture?

Xiangning Li has lectured widely on contemporary Chinese architecture and urbanism and published on these topics in international architecture journals. He has been a visiting scholar at MIT, a fellow at MAK Center of Art and Architecture in Los Angeles, and a visiting professor at TU Darmstadt; and he has curated the Chengdu and Shenzhen Biennale exhibitions, among various distinctions.

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Innovation is not only a scientific issue, it demands the architect’s opportunistic gaze and design skills; it happens at multiple scales, frequently crisscrossing disciplinary boundaries and occasionally changing our cities, cultures, and lives. “Innovate” is a mid-day talk series curated by Iñaki Ábalos, chair of the Department of Architecture, featuring a brief presentation followed by a discussion facilitated by faculty and by thesis, PhD, and DDes students.

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Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations should contact the events office at (617) 496-2414 or by email at [email protected]

Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations should contact the events office at (617) 496-2414 or [email protected].

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