Culture Consumption – A Heterotopian Social Condenser by Tzu-Yuan (PETER) CHeng  

Culture consumption is the behavior of satisfying the spiritual needs of humanity by consuming culture related products and enjoying culture related activities. From every aspect of the metropolis city, the reality of culture consumption is very common and irreplaceable. As we strive to use our identity and character to fight against globalization, we also treat them like merchandises, we package them, we promote them, we sell them. To some extent, localization is the new globalization.

Commonly found in Asia, the night market represents a typical way of the urban behavior. Appearing at night, a flood of excitement and entertainment exists after the sunset, and vanishes every single day. Food stands, small shops, residents and tourists, the night market does not only stand for a eating and shopping, but forms a lively and dramatic value. The chosen site is the Shilin night market, one of the oldest and biggest international tourist attraction in Taipei. The site is rich in its both cultural and commercial context, which derived from different eras of Taiwan history. In 2011, the Shilin Market was rebuilt. The new design proposes a market on ground floor and a food court in the basement, which dramatically changed the night market environment in Shilin. The underground night market/food court has been responded in a controversial way. Compared with the deserted artificial underground night market, food stands on the streets attract a tremendous amount of guests each day. The contradiction reflected by the purpose of the new design and the result showcased the consumption on culture has detached the connection between locals and guests. The underground one (now only inhabited by a few foreigners), will soon be labeled as a “tourist attraction”.

 Why is a relatively new design slowly killing the culture it initially intended to promote? My speculation of this situation is the single function typology undergoing the effects (or damage) caused by cultural consumption leads to failure. Once the meaning of a place becomes superficial, predictable, and easily digested, citizens can no longer tolerate the boredom and commercialized cultural products. It is urgent to propose a new relationship between culture, tourism, architecture, and the city.

A muti-functioned/programmed social condenser will be an effective alternative. Since the stimulation on our desires of a place where anything could happen triggers, the experience and identity of this place would be forever changing and forever fresh. 

The elevated residential block not only provides a great cover for the market and historical buildings, it is also a strategy to release the ground floor as an open space, becoming a park that invites the citizens and embraces the tourists. Traveling from one program block to another makes the identity of an individual meaningless, and labels will no longer be relevant. We, citizens of the city, become a part of this cultural parade. 

Adjacent to the hybrid and complex functions including commercial, historical, residential, schools and temples, and with the undergoing city plans the site is expected to reborn into a land of excitement and wonder - a strip of culture consumption.