Wutopia Lab Treats Two Shenzhen Homes to Gender-Inflected Makeover
Spotlighting a global lineup of firms, the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture alternates between Hong Kong and neighboring Shenzhen, China. The latter hosted the most recent biennale, but, unlike previous ones sited in typical exhibition venues, this edition staged high-concept interventions in migrant villages outside the city center. It was there that Wutopia Lab transformed side-by-side residences into His House and Her House, a gender-inflected meditation on the modern cosmopolis.
Principal Yu Ting and team treated the two structures, totaling 2,400 square feet, to a colorful makeover, aided by cans of pink, blue, and green paint—and a hearty helping of food symbolism. “We were part of a group invited to reimagine the village kitchen,” Yu explains. The scheme winked at domestic stereotypes: His house, in spirited cobalt, featured a beer-filled pool and levitating bacon slabs. Hers, with its pink rock–salt yard and polyester-veiled balconies, was painted a coy rose that exuded femininity.
