Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) Taiwanese architects will offer introspection on micro cities at the upcoming Venice Architecture Biennial to confront the trend of "The Meta City" -- the main topic of the prestigious architectural exhibition.
The exhibition will take place in Venice, Italy from Sep. 8 to Nov. 9. Taiwanese architects Hsieh Ying-chun, Huang Sheng-yuan and Liu Kuo-chang will present their works in an exhibit titled "Micro Cities and Non-Meta Architecture in Taiwan" along with a pair of Nordic studios.
The meta-city -- defined as a city with a population of over 5 million people -- is the contemporary trend, said curator Roan Ching-yueh. However, the Taiwan architects want to reflect at the exhibition on the price our environment has paid for this trend and on how conventional structures, including culture, society, morality and religion, are losing out in "the global giant system."
"This is where the concept of the micro city comes from, " Roan said, explaining that "a micro city is a small, self-sufficient city with a complete cycle of food, energy, waste and information. It is able to face the individual needs of its residents."
"Such a city can also co-exist inside or outside any mega-city, " he added.
Taiwan will also host an East Asia forum in Palazzo delle Prigioni, where the Taiwanese design will be displayed, discussing the global impact of emerging East Asian cities. Forum participants will include architects from Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and China.
The architecture section of the Venice Biennale, which includes art, cinema, music dance and theater categories, was established in 1980.