It’s a day since I arrived which makes it Thursday, I think. After an eleven-hour flight (not enough sleep) I grabbed a few extra hours yesterday and tried to get my bearings if that is possible when surrounded by skyscrapers on all sides..
As well as working independently, I’m hoping to collaborate with an architectural organization whilst here. We’ve had some preliminary emails about this, but I’m waiting to meet with them to see how and in what form this might take..
Well I made it to my first meeting. The man I was to meet, Giel Groothius, runs FAR Architecture Network in Shanghai, a Dutch foundation set up as a platform for discussion and debate around the built environment in this rapidly expanding city where superlatives don’t do it justice. I read somewhere it has increased its population sixfold since 1990 – a little hard to comprehend for my western sensibilities, living as I do in busy yet bijou Brighton. Anyway, it was a no show. He’s very busy organizing an exhibition and couldn’t make it. Not the greatest start having negotiated the metro and a taxi journey via motorbike to get there on time. Still, I met his staff, Lorenzo and Kaman, one Italian, one Dutch Chinese, and we re-scheduled to meet at 2pm tomorrow. Kaman then asked me if I played table football. Not really, I replied (a slight understatement). I’m now playing tonight in a table football league where there will be internationally renowned players (do they exist?). She also wants me to go bowling tomorrow. So far WORK 0 SOCIAL 2.
I now have a ‘fixer’ in the name of Joshua Li. He also works in the office and is the man in the know, so he’s going to try and get me better located in the city. I’m stuck out in Pudong, the financial district, which is pretty sterile, in a room barely twice the size of my bed, but it’s harder than I thought to find cheap accommodation in the right area.
I’m keen to get going on the project after so much research back in the UK, but I think these contacts are going to be invaluable over the next 3 weeks.
