Art installations help create 15-minute community life circle
An old downtown community has linked up with a local arts academy in a pilot scheme to revitalize old neighborhoods and the lives of citizens with innovative designs and artworks.
Seventeen public art installations created by professors and students of the Shanghai University's Academy of Fine Arts are decorating the Linfen Community in downtown Jing'an District. The district is mainly composed of residential buildings dating back to the 1980s.
Sculptures, graffiti paintings, photos and art installations were launched on Friday to showcase the 15-minute community life circle of the community as part of the ongoing Shanghai Urban Space Art Season 2021.
"We'd like to bring arts to the community to make the neighborhoods brighter and more beautiful," said Shi Yu, director of the district's urban planning and natural resources bureau.
The exhibition in the Linfen community, themed on, "At this moment, beautiful Linfen", will run through to December 22 as one of the pilot communities across the city to showcase the government's efforts to create a 15-minute life circle.
Shanghai initiated the idea of building a "15-minute community life circle" in 2014 and noted the concept in its master plan for 2035. Within a 15-minute walk, citizens are expected to have access to various services related to living, working, studying, traveling and elderly care.
Starting from Anye and Yangqu roads, visitors and citizens will encounter a number of modern artworks on the corner of streets or in the gardens of a neighborhood.
In one of the exhibits, a colorful glass is placed in front of a telescope, allowing visitors to see the neighborhood through filters. The nostalgic exhibit recalls the memories of many senior citizens when kaleidoscopes were a common toy.
A nearby exhibit titled the "color of wind" is made of colorful reflective boards and steel shelves. It aims to reflect the colorful lifestyle of people living in the community.
A photo exhibition features the smiling portraits of a dozen local children.
"Citizens are encouraged to participate to the redevelopment of the community," said Li Yongbo, Party secretary of the Linfen Road Subdistrict. "It is an immersive exhibition with modern public artworks about the daily life of the inhabitants."
The subdistrict has launched a series of renovation campaigns in recent years to improve the environment of the old community and create the 15-minute life circle for citizens.
The Xingchenghuayuan Community has been reshaped by demolishing walls with nearby neighborhoods and converting derelict corners into public gardens. An abandoned building within the community has become a daycare center and canteen for the elderly.
A greenbelt has also been created along the Xisitang River running across the community. More than 2,000 square meters of illegal structures have been replaced by a riverside greenbelt stretching 1.7 kilometers long and about 20 meters wide.
Elevator installations have been initiated in nearly 200 buildings. The citywide campaign aims to have elevators installed in old buildings to help the elderly and disabled.
Graffiti paintings created by artists from the academy have been painted on the newly installed elevators and on building walls.