on-going research
Crossing Oceans
MAP Office at PF25
March 2019 - ongoing
Port was MAP Office's main focus of research back in 1990s and was also the reason why they moved in 1996 from France to Hong Kong, which had the biggest port in the world at the time.
MAP Office's practice is research-based, interdisciplinary and focussed on the relation between body and territory, as expressed through different means including drawings, photography, Installation, video, performance and publications. Their observations and re-imaginations of cities and territories included the mapping of urbanisation and globalisation especially in the context of Hong Kong and the greater China region. MAP Office have since pivoted their research to liquid territories, as demonstrated in their work ISLAND IS LAND (2008) to recent projects including The Book of Waves (2018), Ghost Island (2018) - shown as part of the 1st Biennale of Thailand - and The Ise Bay Project (2018) as part of the XXII Triennale di Milano.
MAP Office's current investigations concern the condition and conservation of the ocean, the relationship between marine life and humankind. Basel and Hong Kong are linked closely to their harbours, trade routes, and life flourishing along their waterscapes and this is what MAP Office and PF25 are studying.
Artist Talk at PF25
5th March 2019
PF25 cultural projects presented Hong Kong-based guest speaker Valérie Portefaix of MAP Office who introduced their interdisciplinary and research-based practice with a focus on the relation between body and territory and their recent research on liquid borders, the interactions between marine life and humankind.
Thank you MAP Office for going in-depth of their latest works The Book of Waves (2018) with our audience in Basel.
PF25 happenings
Please join us for a talk by Valerie Portefaix of Hong Kong-based architects/ artists duo MAP Office on Tuesday 5th March 2019.
She will cross oceans to present their practice and their latest work, including the Swiss premiere of THE BOOK of WAVES and the unfolding collaborative project with PF25 in Basel.
The talk will be conducted in English. Seats are limited. RSVP is essential and on a first-come-first-serve basis.