As part of the 2015 Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture, DOUBLE TAKE was a three day event that examined the pervasive practice of architectural mimicry in the residential real estate sector in contemporary China. The event brought together the creative works of scholars, artists, film makers and architects from Austria, China, Hong Kong, the US and the UK. Through a series of film screenings, exhibitions, discussion panels, and workshops, DOUBLE TAKE explored how mimicry has shaped the idea of the home, and the formation of architectural identities in China, Hong Kong and the wider Chinese diaspora. Moving beyond pure criticism and approaching the issue of architectural mimicry through artistic and curatorial practice, DOUBLE TAKE interrogated how architecture gives form to the spatial consequence of intangible connections, memories, and cultural capital, particularly its operation in the economic and political context of post-reform China.

Images by Studio JZ