Folding Cities: A Lecture Performance about Unpleasant, Repulsive, and Hostile Urban Space Design is a research-driven artistic project that critically examines the impact of defensive and hostile architectural strategies on communities. The performance explores how infrastructural regulations and so-called security features, while intended to ensure safety, often become mechanisms of exclusion and social control. By highlighting the physical, emotional, and societal harm caused by such urban designs, Folding Cities calls for collective action to challenge systemic inequality and reimagine inclusive, sustainable public spaces. Presented in a lecture-performance format that blends text, visuals, and sound, the work offers an immersive experience aimed at raising awareness of spatial injustice and fostering dialogue around solidarity and urban transformation. By merging art and scholarship, Folding Cities seeks to inspire critical reflection and mobilize change toward more just and humane urban environments. The project was performed at Haus Sindlingen in Frankfurt on July 8th, 2023.
Premier:
Time: July 8th, 2023
Venue: Haus Sindlingen
Cast:
Director: Yumin Ao
Actors: Yuchen Hu, Wei Chang, Iuliia Baturo, Ching Chen, Yu Shao, Jingrong Luo, Zhanhua He
Assistant Director: Zhanhua He
Producer: Jingrong Luo
Dramaturgy: Jiayi Pan, Rui Wu, Lingyu Lu
Music: Yu Shao
Multimedia: Jiayi Pan
Custom: Ching Chen
Producer:
Sponsors:
yingmingtheater.com 