About this Event
Shanghai: City in Motion: The Rebirth of a Modern Metropolis Nicky Almasy
‘I can’t even tell you what Shanghai looks like,’ wrote P.J. O’ Rourke, ‘because, look
again, and it looks different.’
Shanghai: City in Motion offers an intimate portrait of one of the world’s great cities
across the span of a century through its built environment.
As a photographer Nicky Almasy documented Shanghai for over a decade in the
vortex of one of the greatest urban transformations in history – a city deconstructing
and reconstructing before his eyes. He shot Shanghai’s extraordinary changes through
its architecture, capturing the interweaving of international styles and designs that are
the signature of the urban landscape and manifested in its fascinating design elements.
The talk focuses on Shanghai’s Art Deco heritage, with its combination of Modernist
skylines and disappearing neighbourhoods. In particular, Nicky Almasy looks at the
city through the work of the great Hungarian-Slovak architect László Hudec and his
architectural legacy. Between 1918 and 1947 Hudec designed and built more than a
hundred buildings in Shanghai – hotels, hospitals, churches and government
buildings, including some of the most important structures, of which 31 have been
recognised as Shanghai heritage architecture sites. Hudec’s work remains a hallmark
of the city to the present and his name has become at one with Shanghai.
Nicky Almasy documented the architect’s existing buildings in his book Hudec
(2017). While completing the book, he discovered a second, relatively unknown
Hungarian architect Károly Gonda, who was also active in Shanghai, and that led to
another publication, Gonda (2019).
The talk also looks at the contemporary side of Shanghai’s transformation as Nicky
Almasy documented the construction of Shanghai Tower, completed in 2014 and then
the world’s second tallest building. In doing so, he working closely with the
building’s chief architect, Marshall Strabala.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Penang Institute, 10 Jalan Brown, George Town, Malaysia
USD 0.00
