Debate on local heritage | City transformed to the point of being unrecognizable

It is impossible to compare the Macau of the 1960s with the city of today, according to Yves Etienne Sonolet, visual artist and scholar at the University of Macau. He noted that unlike his home city of Paris where municipal authorities prevent the style of the city from changing, it is common in Macau to demolish older buildings and rebuild new ones in their place.
The Rui Cunha Foundation held a debate yesterday on the quality of architecture in Macau, particularly public buildings in and around Senado Square, and how styles have changed over time. The professor was joined at the discussion, which was themed “Municipal Buildings to Squares: The ‘Leal Senado’ as a Model of Management and Local Government” and featured the architect Maria José Freitas.
Ms Freitas is the author of multiple renovation projects, and winner of the ARCASIA award in the architectural renovation category. She analyzed the various architectural styles of Portuguese municipal buildings during the 200-year-period between 1584 and 1784. This, she explained, is the estimated period for the conception and construction of the Leal Senado Building (currently IACM’s headquarters) according to historical sources.
Although the building was erected in 1784, it encapsulates the “Plain style”, which was popular in 14th and 15th Century Portugal, as opposed to the architectural styles similar to those in the period of its completion. The building and square have continued to evolve from this period, after several extensive renovations, and by adapting to the evolution of the city and its people.
Mr Sonolet then explained how he had observed many changes in the city and its design since his arrival in Macau in 2008. In 2011 the visual artist held an exhibition at the Macau Art Museum, entitled “Nostalgia Refreshed”, which showcased a collection of superimposed images of contemporary Macau on older photos, mainly from the 1950s and 1960s. The results demonstrated the profound changes that the city has undergone.
Yves Sonolet did not praise or condemn the changes that have occurred across Macau, clarifying that despite one’s nostalgia, neither the older, quieter Macau, nor the new, bustling city is “better than the other.” Trying to compare the two in a meaningful way is not possible, as it would entail “actually comparing two different cities.”
His presentation featured ‘historic’ and contemporary photographs and recordings from well-known locations in Macau, including Senado Square, the A-Ma Temple, and the roof of the Sintra Hotel. Sonolet revealed that the “identity of the city [Macau]” had made an impression on him. Staff Reporter