Bare House Ulaanbaatar : at the building site

Abstract

At the heart of bare house, Ulaanbaatar is the thought that, as much as we design our environments, these environments design us – and as such, we and our houses stand naked in the world. This is not a nakedness we should – or could do – away with, but one which compels us to be more attentive to and subtle in connecting with our surroundings. And sometimes, it is precisely a dislocation that makes different understandings possible. Bare house is part of an international exhibition and publication project, which reflects on urbanism through the experience and ideas of Mongolia. This publication documents the art works in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2011 and also presents the artists’ reflections upon the works and different display contexts. An essay, At the Building Site I and a photo essay, At the Building Site II, by Annu Wilenius, are included to further explore the themes of building cities, building exhibitions and building identities.