海外存知己，天涯若比邻。
在海外专辑分享海外华人的故事。希望这份分享可以让世界更加海阔天空。
第六十六期为您奉上的是来自南加州大学，创办了艺术工作室Popica的刘根俊。

A bosom friend afar brings distant land near. The Oversea album shares the lives of Chinese living abroad with all. The No.66 episode is about Henry Liu from USC, who opened art studio Popica.

为什么选择美国西海岸学校？
Why choosing west coast schools?

我从三岁起在加利福尼亚生活，直到长大后我才逐渐意识到生长在国外是多么的幸运。到了要申请读大学的年纪，我已经清楚地意识到要在美国接受教育,我非常喜欢美国的教育系统。

Having been in California since I was 3 years old, I didn’t realized how lucky I was to be living abroad until I was much older. When it came time to apply for colleges, I was clear that I should complete my education in the American education system, which I have grown to love.

为什么选择毕业后来香港创立你的事务所？
Why coming to Hongkong to start your firm?

在建筑学院读书的最后两年，我半工半读，毕业之后也工作过一段时间，但我一直迫切希望能成立一家自己的工作室。我最早接手的项目在中国，所以，我决定将我的工作室设在香港这座非常国际化的城市。

I had a job during my last two years of Architecture school and also worked after graduation, but I always had an urge to open my own studio. The first projects I got commissioned to work on are in China, so I decided to open my studio in Hong Kong, a very international city.

在香港，你印象深刻的事情是什么？
What impressed you the most coming back to Hongkong?

多样性、高密度和高效率。
Diversity, density, and efficiency.

你最喜欢中国／东亚地区的哪些方面？
What do you like the most about China/East Asia regions in general?

这里的一切都很吸引我。文化多样性和贫富差距成就了一个非常独特的城市。另外，一个项目从初期概念设计到完成施工的节奏之快让人十分激动。

Everything here intrigues me. The cultural diversity in addition to the huge wealth gap creates very unique urban conditions. Also, the pace in which a project goes from conceptual design to construction is also very exciting.

作为一个在海外成长的华裔，回到中文环境下工作和生活，你有什么体会？
As a Chinese American grown up oversea, how do you feel in general working and living in a in Chinese using environment?

我欣喜地发现很多公司都有会说英语的人，当然不是每个公司都是这种情况。我正在努力提高中文水平，但这个需要时间。在香港，我用英文工作生活都没有问题，但从长远来看，我能够使用中文交流对于有效工作是至关重要的。

It was a pleasant surprise to find that many companies will have some English speakers, this certainly wasn’t always the case. I’m trying to improve my Chinese, but it’s going to take time. Being in Hong Kong, I’m able to get away with speaking English, but to expand in the long run, being fluent in Chinese is essential.

你会回到从小长大的地方么？
Will you come back to the place you are from? Why?

我不会在一个地方长期定居。我会有时在中国，有时在美国。对我而言，中国如同一个很要好但并不是非常熟悉的朋友。有机会回到中国时，我都会感到很兴奋，但是，由于从小在国外长大，对于中国，我并不十分熟悉。

I don’t think I will ever settle in just one place. I will be traveling back and forth a lot. China to me was that friend you enjoy hanging out with but don’t know very well. I was always excited when I had the chance to visit China, but growing up abroad made China unfamiliar to me.

回到香港后，从不同的角度看中国是否看得更清晰？有哪些感触？
Is it more distinctive to view China from a different background after coming back to Hongkong? Any thoughts on that?

在南加大学习期间，我就开始关注我们所生活的环境状况，并对美国与中国之间的各种差异产生了浓厚的兴趣。美国和中国在人类行为模式和建筑模式之间的差异非常大。我从小在国外长大，可以从西方人的角度来认识中国。在中国时，我对中国朋友已经习以为常的许多东西感到不可思议，特别是街头文化和方言交流方式。这使得我对中国更加好奇，因此我选择在上海和北京学习了一个学期。在很多人看来这是一个奇怪的选择，看起来像是选择自己的国家去出国留学。但是，对我而言，中国的一切都是新奇的。在此期间，我发现了中国有许多独特的元素，能够用于我们的创新设计方案中。我清楚地认识到，在某种程度上，我在中国大有用武之地。

During my time at USC, I started to think very critically about the environment we live in, and became interested in the differences between China and America. Human behaviors and building patterns of the two countries could not be more different. Growing up abroad made me to view China from a foreign perspective. When I visit, a lot of things that my native Chinese friends were used to seeing seemed very strange to me, especially the street culture and vernacular structures. I became curious about China and studied abroad in Shanghai and Beijing for a semester. Many people thought this was an odd choice because it seemed like I was going home to study abroad. But everything was new to me. During that time, I realized there are many unique qualities to China that allowed for wild design solutions. It was clear to me that in one way or another, China would be a huge part of my future.

你的学校有哪些教育特点？
What makes your school different from other architecture schools?

这个问题对于不同的人，会有不同的回答。我感触颇深的地方是南加大的教授给学生阐述的是许多不同的建筑设计方法。南加大没有固定的学生必须遵循的风格，但是，南加大有学生必须满足的标准。我认为，我对建筑学的理解与大多数同龄人不同，因为我对概念艺术和理论更感兴趣，而不是建筑物本身的建构内容。有些教授对我的做法不感兴趣，但大多数人都非常支持并鼓励我继续发展自己的风格。

This will differ depending on whom you ask. What made USC special to me were the many different approaches to architecture that the professors exposed me to. There was no USC style that I had to conform to, but a USC standard that I had to meet. I realized my understanding of architecture was different from most of my peers, as I was more interested in conceptual art and theory rather than tectonics of a building. Some professors were not interested in my approach, but most were very supportive and encouraged me to continue developing my own style.

你现在工作的公司有什么特色和有趣的故事？
What characteristics and interesting facts does your firm have?

哈哈，感谢有这个为工作室进行市场推广的机会！我认为，Popica是一个融合设计空间和场所的艺术工作室。我们的项目必须美观，但更重要的是要表现一定的内容。我们采用有趣多样的工作方法和严肃认真的工作态度。我们敢于提出质疑，尤其敢于质疑人们通常忽略的方面，例如：锥形路标或脚手架。

Haha, thanks for this marketing opportunity. I see Popica as an art studio that designs spaces and places. Our projects have to be beautiful, but more importantly, they have to say something. We’re playful in our approach but serious about the work. There’s a tendency for us to question everything, especially things that people usually don’t notice, like a traffic cone or scaffolding.

你最喜欢的艺术家（绘画音乐电影等广泛范围）是谁？该艺术家给你的创作带来了什么影响？
Who is your favorite artist (in wider range such as art, music, movie)? What is his/her influence to you?

这个有太多选择了！首先，我热爱艺术。我所崇拜的艺术家大多是概念艺术家，如迈克尔·阿瑟、约瑟夫·科斯特和托马斯·史密斯。传统批评的艺术理念对我的思维模式有很大影响。刚开始学习艺术的时候，理解艺术品展示就是艺术本身的想法就是一种心灵震撼。通过概念艺术的学习，我更清楚地认识到，艺术并不总是主观的。艺术家总是试图呈现一种清晰的表达，并且这种表达与环境相关。

视艺术为一种观念而不是一件实物改变了我观察世界的方式。将环境作为内容使得我更倾向于分析一切事物的和谐性，即使我知道这只是一种潜意识的认知或者仅仅是一个愉快的巧合。我在目前的项目中采用了这些愉快的巧合，并希望有更多的人也能读懂其中的美。以这种方式看待世界展示了建筑自身的审美体系，同时也提出了建筑行业本身所面临的问题。我尝试着用我所学去解决这些问题，并不是为了寻找答案，而是为了进行一种艺术的深层交流。

Oh too many to choose from! I love art. Most of them are conceptual artists such as Michael Asher, Joseph Kosuth, and Thomas Struth. The whole genre of institutional critique inspired a lot of my thinking patterns. Early in my art education, understanding the idea that the display of art can be the art itself was mind blowing. Learning about conceptual art made it clear that art is not always subjective. There is usually a clear statement the artist is trying to make, and it’s relevant because of the context.

Seeing art as an idea as opposed to a thing really changed the way I perceive the world. Accepting context as content, I tend to analyzed everything as if it were curated specifically to be the way it is, even though I know it was unintentional or just a happy accident. I’ve been documenting some of these happy accidents for an ongoing project, and hope that others will see the beauty in it too. Seeing the world this way revealed a lot of beauty in the vernacular side of architecture and raised a lot of questions about the profession itself. I tried to tackle some of these questions in my school projects, not with the intension of finding answers, but just to start a conversation.

觉得自己的作品集有哪些迷人之处？
In your opinion, what fascinates viewers the most in your portfolio?

我曾经接受过一份工作面试，事务所的设计师认为我的作品集不同于传统的建筑设计，因此他们聘用了我，所以，我觉得是我的作品集帮助我在面试中脱颖而出。

When I was being interviewed for a job, the designers at the firm didn’t think my portfolio looked like architecture work. They then hired me, so I think that helped me stand out.

什么时候开始看谷德网的？有什么建议吗？
When did you start to follow gooood? Any suggestions for it?

回到亚洲时，我自然而然会关注很多亚洲有关建筑的刊物，而gooood就是其中之一。我非常感激gooood创建出这样一个使设计师分享工作的平台。

I naturally followed many Asia architecture publications when moving back to Asia, and gooood was one of them. I appreciate the platform gooood has created for designers to share their work.

W O R K

1.
购物中心
Peoples Mall

开发商通过在商城建造精心设计的主题公园、剧院、舞台、游乐场、甚至水族馆，来提升人们的购物体验。世界各地有很多购物中心都会利用这些配套设施以及其他一些传统营销手段去提升顾客的购物体验。人们在这里购物或社交与在其他任何场合下的体验有所不同，但很少有人会去分析其中的坏境具体是如何设计的，或是如何引导顾客去进行更多消费的。购物中心的具体理念可以被理解为一个作为商场的艺术博物馆。这个博物馆的展品就是购物中心的各个部分，而购物中心本身可以被理解为一个互动式平台。

Developers have been improving the mall experience by building elaborate theme parks, theaters, stages, arcades, and even aquariums in malls. These components, along with traditional marketing tactics can be found in malls around the world. People shopping or socializing in these spaces get an experience unlike any other, but rarely stop to analyze how the environment around them is actually created or how they are being lured into spending more money. The proposed design, People’s Mall, can be understood as an art museum that functions as a mall. The exhibitions of this museum are the mall components, and the mall itself can be understood as an interactive installation.

这个项目中，有两个消费用户群体，其中一个是在购物中心进行购物、饮食或使用购物中心配套设施的普通消费人群，另外一个群体，则是在博物馆楼层对购物中心结构和功能进行游逛消遣的人群。这两个群体虽有目标上的差异，但是肯定会在购物中心使用方面相互交叉。普通消费人群可能认为这是个广场而在不知不觉中漫步到博物馆楼层，或者游逛消费人群无意之中被引导成为消费者。事实上，游逛消遣人群只能通过博物馆的礼品店进入博物馆的平台，礼品店也成了进出博物馆的唯一方式。这部分游逛消遣人群必须成为一个消费者，才能够完成对购物中心的游逛消遣。这个项目的目的是让人们更加关注我们所处的环境。我们正就一个商场进行分析，但同样的原则也可以应用于任何事物。

There would be two user groups in this project, the subjects, the ones shopping, eating, or engaging in any of the mall’s attractions, and the observers, the ones on the museum level critically analyzing the structure and function of the mall. These two user groups are physically separated, but will definitely mix as they occupy the mall. Subjects may unknowingly wander to the museum floor, thinking it is just a plaza, or the observers may be tempted to become a subject. In fact, the only way for the observers to access the museum platform is through the museum store, forcing them to exit through the gift shop; these observers must become a subject as they conclude their analysis of the mall. The goal of this project is to have people think more critically about the environment we live in. People’s Mall is analyzing a mall, but the same principles can be applied to anything.

正在进行的展览
The ongoing exhibitions

– 突出的入口/ 吸引顾客：人们通常会被一个精致的脸庞所吸引，那么，对于购物中心来说，同样需要一个华丽的入口。
– 大食代 / 卡特尔理论：将类似的商户集中在同一个地方可以提高商户的业务量，餐饮行业对于将顾客吸引到商场变得更加重要。
– 购物车/ 真实幻景：在购物车或可移动摊位上销售产品会给顾客产生价格比较便宜的感觉，因为不需要支付店铺租金。然而，这些摊位其实以大型商城中同等的价格出售商品。而且这些摊位直接放在来往人流量大的区域，具有更强的视觉冲击力。
– 娱乐元素 / “哇噻”元素：当顾客参与到商场举办的活动中时，他们对商场的满意度会有所增加。顾客的满意度越高意味着再次回到商场的机会更高。由于许多人去商场的目的并不一定是购买商品，所以，商场必须有其他活动才能吸引顾客前往。这些活动范围从美容院到水族馆到赌场，并已成为许多商场的营销手段之一。“室内滑雪”或“水上乐园”比“很多商铺”产生更好的反响。
– 广告/ 闪光标牌：广告可以是任何引起视觉注意的闪光标牌。这样一来，人们不仅可以去那里购物，也可以拍下广告牌的照片，并在社交平台上传播。这是商场的一种免费营销手段。

– Standout Entrance / The Bait: People will generally be attracted to a beautiful face, and for malls, this means a beautiful entry.
– Food Court / Cartel Theory: Centralizing similar businesses together increase the business of all vendors, and dining has become much more important to bring visitors to the mall.
– Kiosks / Authentic Illusion: Selling products on a cart or in a portable stall gives the illusion that the goods are cheaper, since there is no need to pay for real estate rent. These stalls, however, are selling goods at the same price as if they were in a large store. These stalls are also placed directly on circulation paths, and have a strong visual appeal.
– Entertainment Element / The “WOW” factor: Visitor satisfaction is increased when people engage in activities. A higher satisfaction rate means a higher chance of returning to the mall. Since many people do not go to the mall with the intention to purchase goods, there must be other activities for them to engage with. These activities range from spas to aquariums to casinos, and have become a marketing stunt for major malls. “Indoor skiing” or “Water Park” generates a better response than “many shops”.
– Advertisements/ Glitter: This can be any flashy signage that attracts visual attention. This will draw people to not only go there, but also take photos of the billboards and circulate them on social platforms. It is free marketing for the mall.

– 促销大促销 / 虚构事实：要么实际上没有任何商品是打折的，要么打折活动持续整年，但商品上的标识可以随不同的打折活动而变化。春季打折活动，随后是夏季打折活动，然后是秋季和冬季的打折活动。
– 退货部 / 策划的退货周折：商店有退货政策规定，如果顾客不满意，商品可以退回全额退款。这给消费者一种购买安全感。然而，顾客如果想退货，则必须经过一个精心设计的过程，从而使顾客以后为避免周折而打消退货念头。
– 办公和酒店或住宿/ 本地客：多功能用途项目开发是目前的趋势。让人们在购物中心附近或购物中心内生活和工作创造出的亮点可以确保在顾客不购物的情况下也会客流不断。
– 艺术品 / 装饰品：在商场展示艺术主要是为了增加文化价值和视觉冲击力。艺术可以是永恒而富有变化的，可以作为游客的视觉形象纪念品。艺术品可以是壁画，也可以是互动式配套设施，并可以放置在商场的任何地方。

– SALE SALE SALE / Fake Fact: Either nothing is actually on sale, or the sale goes on throughout the year but is labeled differently. There will be a spring sale followed by a summer sale followed by a fall and winter sale.
– Return Department / Designed Distress: Stores have return policies states that merchandise can be returned for a full refund if the customer is not satisfied. This gives the consumer a sense of security for their purchases. Once it comes time to return the goods, however, customers must go through a process that is designed to be so distressful that they are discouraged from returning anything ever again.
– Office and Hotel or Housing / The Natives: Mixed-use projects development is now the norm. Having people living and working in close proximity to the mall, or in many cases in the mall itself, ensures a constant flow of people even though they are not there to shop.
– Art / Decorative Distraction: Displaying art in a mall is primarily to increase cultural value and visual impact. The art can be permanent or inconstant, but acts as a visual memorabilia for visitors. Artwork can range from murals to interactive installations, and placed anywhere in the mall.

2.
渔线轮特质分析
Reel Qualities

2D建筑表现方式正在迅速变化，同时它也是建筑交流中一个关键的部分。Reel Qualities（渔线轮特质分析）是一个关于分析建筑表现特质，同时试图将这些特质在实际环境中表现出来的项目。通常，建筑以一种“讲故事” 或产生“感觉”的方式来表现，但是最终的产品充其量只是一种对图纸所呈现的效果的诠释。

这种调查开始于将物理对象转换到2D空间。在这里，由于渔线轮本身的复杂性和可运动性，因此选择其作为例子。画一个可体现渔线轮性质的轮，它便开始展现只有2D空间才可能展现的特质。

2D architectural representation is changing rapidly, and a key part of architectural communication. Reel Qualities is a project that analyzes the qualities of representation and attempts to translate these qualities into the physical world. Oftentimes architecture is represented in a way to “tell a story”, or generate a “feeling”, but the final product is, at best, a diluted translation of what the drawings promised.

This investigation began by translating a physical object into 2D space. A fishing reel was chosen for its intricacies and movement. The reel was drawn in a way that maintained its identity as a fishing reel, but began to show qualities that were only possible in 2D.

在系列图纸中提取这些只能在2D维度显示的特质，并加以强化。此时，物体之间的边界只表示平面，而不是空间。背景变成了虚拟概念，材料成为一种纯粹的图形语言……。

These qualities were extracted and intensified in a series of drawings that would only show qualities achievable in 2D. Borders between objects suggested flatness instead of space, the background becomes a virtual idea, and materials become a pure graphic language…etc.

系统中设计了个性判断方式，让这项调查与实际环境联系起来。实际操作无所谓正确与错误，没有计算出的质量量化系统。但令人着迷的是，我的同事和教授之间却在这方面非常默契，某些个性中表现出的特质比别的个性中的特质更为明显。一旦清楚哪一种最靠近图纸上所表现的特质，从物质的角度上来讲，就成功表现了该个性。

A series of characters were designed to bring this investigation back into the physical world. There was no right or wrong way to do this, and there was no calculated system to quantify a quality. But what was fascinating was the general agreement amongst my peers and professors that certain qualities were clearer in one character versus the others. Once it became clear which one was the closest relative of the drawings, the character was physically built.

再次重申，在2D空间中不存在的特质，却会出现在实际空间当中，于是要对这些特质进行分析，从一个更广阔的层面可居住空间去考虑。该项目最终揭示的一系列缺陷，可能像或不像一个渔线轮，但这些结果当中包含了只能通过2D维度发现的特质。

Once again, qualities that were not in the 2D space showed up in the physical object, and these qualities were then analyzed and brought into a larger scale, an inhabitable space. The project ultimately resulted a series of follies that may or may not resemble a fishing reel, but contained qualities that were only discoverable through the use of 2D representation.

3.
Storefront

通过这个项目，我要说的第一个心得是，一座高楼不一定是由很多水平面楼层堆砌起来的。随着高楼林立，我们经常看到重复的、没有新意的空间变异设计。通过将完整楼层变为多个子楼层的设计，Storefront打破了这种僵化的局面，允许人们在通过建筑物时不断不断体验变化着的空间。

The first statement I’m trying to make with this project is that a tower does not have to be a stack of horizontal floors. With vertical high-rises, we often see repetition that drains every floor of any spatial variation. Storefront breaks up this rigidity by replacing every complete level with multiple sub-levels, allowing a constant change in space as people circulate through the building.

Storefront是一幢坐落在旧金山，专为艺术家设计的高楼，在这里，艺术家们可在他们的个人工作室工作和展示艺术品。每个单位都有一个可以向中央核心公共区域开放的店面，并且可以通过楼梯和电梯进入。这种方法使得整个建筑物将隐蔽的角落和展示平台融合成一个相互联系的空间。

Storefront is designed as a high-rise for artists in San Francisco, where the residents will work and display art in their personal studios. Every unit has a storefront that can open to the public central core, and will be accessible from stairs and elevator. This approach makes the whole building feel like one interconnected space, with corners of privacy and moments of display.

我要说的第二个心得是，建筑物不必高大或光鲜亮丽。开发商通过建造所谓最高或最光鲜亮丽的建筑物来相互竞争，但是这样的竞争在我们的建筑环境中并不一定健康。在材料选择和设计态度方面，我希望展示另一种途径，以创造有影响力的建筑。

The second statement I’m trying to make with this project is that a tower does not have to be tall and shiny. The competition amongst developers to build the tallest and shiniest buildings is not necessarily healthy for our built environment. In the material choices and design attitude, I am hoping to show an alternative approach to creating impactful architecture.

Storefront的整个外观采用波纹金属，裸露的墙壁设计为空白画布的模式，供艺术家们使用。这些选择有助于空间的无制约性。在这里创作的艺术家不应该害怕弄伤墙壁或划伤地板。这将有利于激发出艺术家们自己的语言，唯有自下而上的途径才能达到这个目的。我想在Storefront所呈现出来的自由和想象力，比建筑框架本身更重要。

The entire exterior façade of Storefront is cladded in corrugated metal, and the bare walls are designed to be blank canvas for artists to use. These choices help the space feel unconditional; artists here shouldn’t be afraid to chip a wall or scratch a floor. This will hopefully create vernacular spectacles that only bottom-up development can yield. The freedom and imagination that I would like to see occur in Storefront is much more important than the frame itself.

在海外时间：21年
在海外地点：旧金山，洛杉矶
姓名：刘根俊
籍贯：广州
学校or工作单位：南加州大学，Popica
联系方式：liugenjun@gmail.com, www.popica.co

When: 21 years
Where: San Francisco, Los Angeles
Who: Henry Liu
From: Guangzhou
School/Firms: USC, Popica
Contact: liugenjun@gmail.com, www.popica.co

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