Macau’s modern heritage in exhibition

Rui Leão

The Casa Garden is the stage for an exhibition on “Modern Architecture in South China” that opened last week.
The exhibition is being organized by Docomomo Macau, a local organization headed by the architect Rui Leão, and aims to document buildings that serve as examples of Macau’s modern architecture and to draw attention to the need to preserve and protect these kinds of architecture.
A total of 38 buildings, along with information and the locations of each, are on display. The information is of value, according to Leão, in its purpose of educating people about the history and stories behind each of the properties.
“The list was much longer, about 100 properties,” Leão said, “but we chose to present these 38 as examples of an ongoing project that aims to illustrate and classify this heritage.”
The head of Docomomo Macau explained, “The aim is to classify these properties to protect them. We already presented the government with a simple listing of these buildings [as a reference]. A formal proposal for classification needs to have more information and detail. We have not reached that stage yet.”
Leão also mentioned, “We are looking at a spectrum of different degrees of urgency; some of these [buildings] are not at risk for the moment, but the idea is to submit them all for classification in our proposal.”
The exhibition is divided into seven different sections, each one forming a proposed walking tour.
A guidebook is expected to be released soon, collating all of the information about these buildings in order “to help people decode the modernist heritage of Macau” during the recommended walks. The walking guide will be titled “Macau – Modern Architecture.”
The exhibition will be on display until April 11.