Accumulating Memory: The Shenzhen Value Factory

Abstract

The 2013 Shenzhen & Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale was held at the “Value Factory,” a former factory repurposed for culture after twenty-two years of glass production. For a city that does not have a substantial urban history, preserving the recent past through converting industrial buildings to house cultural programs allows the population the ability to witness Shenzhen’s identity change. Questioning what constitutes a heritage building, the transformation of the factory intelligently connects the recent history of China with its potential future, as the country transitions away from manufacturing as its economic base. As the factory increases in value through an appraisal of its socio-economic heritage, the outcome is that it has become an accidental monument. Instead of being characterized as a remnant, it continues to transform under the changing conditions of its context. For the factory, further speculation is required as to how to accumulate additional layers of historic significance.