Architecture studio All(zone) has curated an innovative installation called Shanghai Picnic for the RAM Assembles architecture biennial, featuring a series of eye-catching pavilions constructed from colorful fabrics. The project aims to encourage spontaneous interactions in urban spaces and transform the city into what organizers describe as "a shared canvas."
RAM Assembles, the biennial festival of architecture hosted by Shanghai's Rockbund Art Museum, explores how architecture shapes public spaces through creative installations in the museum's courtyard. This year's edition embraces the concept of Shanghai Picnic to promote informal, improvisational interactions within the urban environment.
"Shanghai Picnic invites citizens and visitors alike to experience the city in ways that are improvisational, playful, and often unexpected – beyond what architects or designers might anticipate," explained Rachaporn Choochuey, co-founder of All(zone) and curator of this year's RAM Assembles. She added that "this informal, improvisational element transforms the city into a shared canvas, a kind of picnic blanket, where spontaneous interactions, collective imagination, and activities become integral to the space itself."
At the heart of the exhibition stands All(zone)'s centerpiece installation, "Under A Common Sky," which consists of ten lightweight pavilions serving dual purposes as both shelters and gathering places. Each pavilion features a distinctive canopy made from overlapping mesh fabrics, creating a waffle-like structure arranged at specific angles to form the traditional shape of a Chinese pavilion. Beneath these colorful canopies, platforms of varying heights function as benches, tables, and stages, actively inviting people to gather, rest, and interact.
The translucent mesh fabric design serves practical purposes as well, allowing both light and air to flow freely while providing essential shade during Shanghai's hot summer months. This approach to climate-responsive design reflects All(zone)'s Bangkok-based expertise in tropical architecture, where fabric structures have become a signature solution.
"Air conditioning kills the architects who understand climate," Choochuey told reporters. "In Thailand, we see local people use ceiling fans instead of air conditioning because they work well in the humidity but don't cost much energy. In Asia, we don't live in brick houses, and no one wants to live in a wooden house, which does not match the stereotypical image through the Western lens. The West tends to romanticize Asia, but Asians are practical; we come up with cheap solutions to fix a problem."
Choochuey also selected four emerging design practices, both local and international, to create additional installations for the biennial. Shanghai-based studio WWWorks contributed "Pipe Up!", a public water fountain that cleverly connects to the existing water pipes of the museum buildings. Bright yellow pipes extend through a narrow alleyway, forming a dramatic sculptural installation that culminates in a functional water fountain within the courtyard. Through reintroducing public drinking water to the site, the studio aims to revive the historical role of water fountains in Shanghai's civic life.
Wuhan-based Tangent Essays added a striking blue zigzag platform along the arcade of an existing historical building. The dynamic platform begins from the main street, winds its way into the arcade, and concludes as a wide-open stage facing the central courtyard, creating a continuous pathway that encourages exploration and performance.
Beijing-based Studio Vapore introduced natural elements into the urban setting with a series of moss-covered hills that rise gently from the ground. The studio designed these green installations to create moments of stillness and contemplation for visitors, providing a stark contrast to the relentless pace of city life.
Bangkok-based Alkhemist Architects contributed four mobile carts designed to function as food stalls and information desks in their installation called "Ways to Roam." The design draws inspiration from Thailand's bold color palette, incorporating surface tiles sourced from Chinese online markets to create a cross-cultural aesthetic.
According to Choochuey, all four installations incorporate elements of quiet reflection as well as subtle critiques of authority, which she believes perfectly fits the role of an architecture biennale. The water fountain, for instance, serves as commentary on the expensive commercial district of Rockbund, where access to drinking water has become a luxury. Similarly, the moss-covered hills provide a green contrast to the otherwise bare urban ground.
The project reflects All(zone)'s broader philosophy about urban living and community engagement. "Rapid urbanization and gentrification often disconnect individuals from their living environments, creating an estrangement that is particularly evident in many Asian cities," Choochuey observed. "We see Rockbund during RAM Assembles as a site of experimentation; it's where we come together to explore, create, and redefine what living in urban space can be."
RAM Assembles Shanghai Picnic runs from September 12 to 28, 2025, offering visitors nearly three weeks to experience these innovative architectural interventions. The installation represents part of All(zone)'s recent body of work, which includes a bright orange fabric pavilion in Melbourne and a concrete holiday home in rural Thailand, demonstrating the studio's versatility across different climates and cultural contexts.
