Installations inspire at Xintiandi design festival
"Fun in the Woods," MBRS
"Overlap Space Time," YAANK LAB
Art is always the soul of Xintiandi.
Running through June 25, the Design Shanghai @ Xintiandi Design Festival recently opened to the public.
Under the theme of "Plug-in-Illusion," 21 sets of installations featuring architecture, design, art and fashion have been "plugged in" at Xintiandi.
The annual Design Shanghai @ Xintiandi Design Festival has presented over 100 design-inspired art installations, professional forums and a large number of offline interactive activities to the public since 2017.
This year's Xintiandi Design Festival opened alongside the newly upgraded Xintiandi Style II, which houses a large number of original design brands.
According to the organizer, 70 design-inspired market stalls would offer inspirational items and interactive content to visitors during the Dragon Boat Festival.
These 21 installations are the highlight of the festival.
In the outdoor plaza of Xintiandi Square, VAVE Studio has created an installation titled "The DreamCo." By simply entering a selfie picture with a personal description of a dream, one can get a surreal and exclusive dream generated by DreamCo, leading one to ponder "what is real" and "what is an illusion."
"Give Me Five!" YIMU ART
Another eye-catching piece at the plaza is created by LZA with the name inspired by Chapter 14 of Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" – "Embodiment of Nothingness," which explores the relationship between existence and absence, the difference between substance and non-substance, between tangible and intangible, trying to guide viewers to go beyond the material world.
Those who emerge from the subway station at Xintiandi can encounter an interesting installation, titled "Give Me Five!"
Placed at the Metro exit, the installation features a super-large sculpture "HELLO! Bear" by artist Huang Feichun. Through interaction between people and the bear, the touch control lights on the bear are turned on and off. The warm lighting and cute bear shape inspire warmth and coziness, reminiscent of the ambiance of one's own home.
"Fun in the Woods" is a group of urban public interactive installations. The "woods," composed of "branches" and "leaves," provides passersby with a rich and variable spatial interaction experience, while at the same time relaxing a hasty heart.
New technology is also fused into some of the digital works. For example, a newly developed digital frame concept is used in "It is your energy" at the channel of Xintiandi Style II.
Instead of using traditional screens, new technology makes the screen appear transparent which is better integrated into the environment.
"Reminiscence," Belle & Juno
Design Shanghai @ Xintiandi Design Festival
Date: Through June 25
Venue: Xintiandi
