"IN SITU" Biennial of Space Creation: A Dialogue on Macao's History, Community, and Creativity
One of the installations at the "IN SITU" Placemaking Biennale. (Photo courtesy of the curatorial team © CURB Archive)
The first "IN SITU" Placemaking Biennale, organized by CURB (Centre for Architecture and Urbanism), took place in mid-December last year at various locations in Macau. As Macau's first international event dedicated to public spaces, "IN SITU" transformed them into stages for creativity and community connection. It brought together local and international artists, designers, and citizens to reimagine communities and experience the city of Macau in different ways.
The name of the Placemaking Biennale comes from the Latin "in situ," meaning "in its original place." This name directly reflects the core philosophy and placemaking approach of the event. The biennale featured six site-specific installations, distributed in the culturally and historically rich Parish of St. Lawrence, directly within everyday public spaces. They attempted to preserve the original features and activate the spaces, while responding to the unique history of each location. This "in situ" intervention method allowed design and community to interact with the place, fostering exchange and dialogue, and discovering new possibilities in urban life.
Installation: "Letters to Macau" Designers: Sebastian Trujillo-Torres, Kruti Dhiresh Shah (Photographed at the exhibition)
To Dear Macau
Near New Reclamation Alley, in the square, stands a vibrant red installation: "Letters to Macau." Anyone with a message for the city or for others could write it down and drop it into this artwork, just like putting a letter into a red mailbox commonly seen on the streets. Letters from residents and tourists to Macau were like mail sent to loved ones. A reading event was also held at the end of the biennale, where all letters were displayed and read aloud, allowing everyone to feel the emotions and significance within, touching hearts.
Installation: "Unplanned" Designers: Filipa Frois Almeida, Hugo Alexandre Pinheiro Reis (Photographed at the exhibition)
An Unplanned Encounter
In Largo do Lilau, beneath ancient banyan trees, an art installation resembling a gently floating piece of paper stood. "Unplanned" rested quietly in the square with soft curves, inviting visitors to rest. Sitting in the shade, gazing at the leaves trembling in the wind and the "dance" of light and shadow, it evoked memories my grandmother described about people gathering under banyan trees on hot afternoons to cool off and chat. It made me wonder if my grandmother had also enjoyed this colorful sunlight in the same way. On that day, there was also an event where students from Pui Tou Middle School and Indonesian migrant workers gathered here, enthusiastically inviting passersby to join a picnic and chat. Through sharing food and stories, I gained a deeper understanding of their culture, their love for the city, and the challenges they face in Macau. This square under the banyan trees once again became a warm space for people to meet and connect.
Installation: "Overlap" Designer: Joel (Photo courtesy of Joel)
Flexible Space
At Lilau Square, "Overlap" broke away from the traditional fixed and immovable design of public benches, allowing visitors to freely adjust their positions and sit down to rest, demonstrating extreme flexibility. During the day, local artist Wong U Wa transformed it into a mobile floral art workshop, using dried flowers collected from various parts of Macau to create a dialogue between cultural heritage and modern city life. A resident who participated in the workshop expressed emotionally, "Every time I see these dried flowers, I think of everyone!" conveying the precious memories the event left in her heart. In the evening, the same space transformed into a venue for musician Patrício Manhão Cheng's musical performance. As the performance began, it reminded me of Macau's classic Portuguese folk song: "Drink the water from Lilau, and you can't forget Macau; either settle down in Macau or return after a long absence." Throughout the biennale, the installation served as a vehicle for the city's collective memory, symbolizing the indelible warm neighborhood relationship between Lilau and the people of Macau.
Installation: "Hearing Place" Designers: Liu Jia Ming and Liu An Jing (Photographed at the exhibition)
The Heartbeat of the Inner Harbor
Inspired by church acoustics, "Hearing Place" at Ponte e Cais do Patane is a resonant installation. The wooden pipes on the installation extend towards Macau's major landmarks – St. Lawrence's Church, the Inner Harbor, Largo do Lilau, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, and the sea. Each pipe is precisely tuned to the exact distance from its respective landmark, transforming wind sounds and urban noise into specific frequencies. The graffiti group AAFK sprayed abstract sound waves on the installation, depicting the invisible journey of sound, intertwined histories, and the flowing urban soundscape. Stepping inside the installation, I felt as if I could hear the vibrations of Ponte e Cais do Patane and the pulse of the city.
Installation: "Enclosing · Flow of Time" Designers: Li Meixin, Wang Shoumeng, Jiang Xintong, and Xu Huiyao (Photographed at the exhibition)
The Interweaving of History, Memory, and Life
Stepping into Kwong Fook Wai, the lively life that once filled the enclosed houses has long disappeared, leaving only empty homes and scattered traces of life. However, "Enclosing · Flow of Time" is presented in the form of mirrored cubes, an art installation seemingly emerging from the ground, each cube reflecting different corners of the enclosed houses. Inside the installation are everyday objects, videos, and photographs taken by photographer Li Haole, like time capsules, preserving fragments of Kwong Fook Wai's memory.
Installation: "Here, This is Life" Designer: Lou Weng Hei (Photographed at the exhibition)
Co-created Furniture
In Largo de Agostinho, a small park located in a quiet neighborhood, "Here, This is Life" transformed it into a vibrant co-creation center. The installation consisted of a series of furniture pieces that were not only freely usable but also welcomed nearby residents to doodle on them. In the end, the furniture was filled with various graffiti marks, becoming a work of art co-created by the community. It was no longer just furniture but became an object carrying memories and stories. As the biennale drew to a close, all the furniture was donated, becoming organic "living entities" imbued with the spirit of collaboration, creativity, and placemaking.
Echoes of the Biennale: Reshaping Macau's Public Spaces with Creativity and Connection
The inaugural event transformed Macau's public spaces into stages for creativity, community connection, and dialogue. Through six installations distributed across the Parish of St. Lawrence, the biennale, with its "IN SITU" spirit, intervened on-site, attempting to preserve and reconstruct the history and characteristics of the spaces.
From expressing feelings in a mailbox installation, encounters under banyan trees, freely movable benches, devices capturing the city's pulse, time capsules preserving memories, to furniture co-graffitied by the community and ultimately gifted to residents. These works reimagined everyday urban spaces, discovering new possibilities for life and fostering a sense of belonging and collective creativity.