[TALK] Shanghai: City in Motion: The Rebirth of a Modern Metropolis

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.

Host or Publisher Penang Institute & Gerakbudaya Bookshop