This is your chance to become a part of Nanjing! A recently-launched design competition is seeking proposals from all over the world for that which is hoped will be a new iconic landmark for the very heart of Nanjing that is Xinjiekou.
The Nanjing Xinjiekou Creative Landmark Design Competition is offering prize money to the total of ¥800,000 and interested parties have until 4 August to submit their entries.
Individuals, design agencies, architects or any other kind of institution on a global level are welcome to participate. There is no fee for doing so.
Entries may also take any format whatsoever; structures, landscapes, sculptures, installations, independent works of art, even digital entries comprising sound, light and images.
Under the guidance of the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the District People’s Governments of Gulou, Qinhuai and Xuanwu, organisers are seeking entries that reflect Nanjing as an ancient capital and its 2,500 years of culture, “serving the present and inheriting both the past and future”.
So just where will the winning entry find its home in the centre of Nanjing?
An electronic winner might well find its way onto the giant screen facing Xinjiekou Square on the side of the Xinbai shopping centre. Space for a statue could also certainly be found outside House of Fraser and Hamleys.
Sounds great, but in reality the possible display space for the winning entry is a little more broad. The actual perimeter is being defined as the space enclosed by Huaqiao Lu and Changjiang Lu in the north, Hongwu Lu and Hongwu Bei Lu in the east, Huaihai Lu and Shigu Lu in the south, and Wangfu Da Jie and Guanjia Qiao in the west.
That’s Nanjing’s four central city blocks.
However, other than Xiejiekou Square itself, the aforementioned area is almost entirely built up that there is hardly the space for any kind of sizeable statue or a piece of installation art.
After the competition closes, entries shall undergo expert evaluation and public selection, after which a final evaluation will select a batch of shortlisted works. The first, second and third prizes in the competition will then be finally determined.
Full details as to the entry process and the rules of the competition (in Chinese) can be found via this link. Competition inquiries may also be made by telephone: 85771690 / 13914465476.