In the residential quarter I live in Beijing, many underground parking for bicycles have been turned into cheap dormitory for migrants.
'Semi-underground room', this is how they term these rooms in the advertisement.
The rooms are usually around 4-6 square meters with no windows, no heating, and sewage pipes stretching across- they are rooms designed for parking bikes but not living.
Th monthly rent range from Rmb 300-750 ($50-$100) depending on the room size and conditions, excluding electricity (Rmb1/1 mark), water (Rmb10/ $1.3), shower (Rmb 5/15-30 mins), TV (Rmb18/$2) and internet (Rmb60/$8). The averge salary of a migrant in Beijing is around RMB1200-1500 ($140-$180).
For this exhibition at the Biennale of Architecture, I reconstructed the situation of these 'semi-underground' migrant dwelings, using objects collected from the migrants.
蚣皿 gong min
Installation2008Bed (190cmx85cm), Household Objects, Clothes, Shoes, Backpack

2008 Biennale of Architecture, Beijing

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