Fragment of the drawing with each distinct research lens in a different colour, full drawing 420 by 630 cm
Hong Wan Chan & Joris Kerremans, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, 2022

Drawing a landscape in transformation in the Pearl River Delta

This vector drawing is the outcome of an elective course led by Wan and Joris at Ghent University that explored a fragment of the fast-changing landscape of Nanhai District in the Pearl River Delta, Wan’s ancestral home.

The selected area, measuring five by three kilometres, was tackled by 18 master’s students who used satellite images as an underlayer and drawing as a tool to bridge the gap between China and Belgium. As their inquiring eyes wandered over the landscape, themes and patterns were picked up, while the activity of drawing recorded, questioned, and affirmed their findings.

This approach relies on the tacit knowledge the students have gained during their studies: to draw is a process of selecting, omitting, isolating, ordering, … It directs the gaze and prompts questions. Performing it demands precision and deliberateness.
 
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Joris Kerremans and Hong Wan Chan both work at the Department of Architecture and Urban planning at Ghent University in Belgium. Besides teaching at Ghent University, Joris also runs an architectural practice, and Wan is completing a PhD on her changing ancestral landscape in China. Together with students Joris and Wan explore peri-urban landscapes in both China and Belgium through the medium of drawing.

This object is part of the TACK Exhibition “Unausgesprochenes Wissen / Unspoken Knowledge / Le (savoir) non-dit”, in the section “Making and Materiality”.