MAP OFFICE is a multidisciplinary platform devised by Laurent Gutierrez (Casablanca, 1966) and Vale´rie Portefaix (Saint-Etienne, 1969). This duo of artists/architects has been based in Hong Kong since 1996, working on physical and imaginary territories using varied means of expression including drawing, photographs, video, installations, performance and literary and theoretical texts. Their entire project forms a critique of spatio-temporal anomalies and documents how human beings subvert and appropriate space. Humour, games and fiction are also part of their approach, in the form of small publications providing a further format for disseminating their work.

Laurent Gutierrez is an Associate Professor at the School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University where he leads the Environment and Interior Design discipline and the Master of Strategic Design as well as Innovation Design Management (IDM/MBA). He is also the co-director of SD SPACE LAB. He is currently doing a PhD on the “Processes of Modernization and Urbanization in China focusing on the Pearl River Delta region”.

Vale´rie Portefaix is the principal of MAP OFFICE. She received her Master of Architecture degree from School of Architecture Paris-Belleville and a PhD in Urbanism from University Pierre Mendes France. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at the School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

MAP OFFICE projects have participated in major international art and architecture events including; EVENTO 2009 - 1st Bordeaux Biennale (2009); 4th Tirana International Contemporary Art Biannual (2009); 2nd Canary Island Biennale (2009); 7th, 11th and 12th Venice Architecture Biennale (2000, 2008, 2010); Prospect.1 － New Orleans (2008); 7th Gwangju Biennale (2008); 10th Istanbul Biennale (2007); 52nd Venice Art Biennale (2007); 15th Sydney Biennale (2006); 1st Paris Triennial (2006); 2nd Guangzhou Triennial (2005); 1st Rotterdam Architecture Biennale (2003).

Their publications includes: Unreal Estates of China (2007); The Parrot’s Tale (2007); My PRD Stories (2005), HK LAB 2 (2005); HK LAB (2002); Mapping HK (2000); among many others publications on the 《 Made in China 》 phenomenon and other, related issues.

Their film “The City of Production” have been selected for the official competition at: 38th International Film Festival Rotterdam 2009, 33rd Cinema du Reel Paris 2009, 1st Migrating Forms New York 2009.