Floating Pavilion | Daxing Jizi Design

Daxing Jizi Design has created the “Floating Pavilion,” a spatial installation featured at the 3rd Public Urban Festival called “Let’s Gala,” which takes place at Longgang Vanke Plaza in Shenzhen. This captivating installation comprises a thoughtfully arranged matrix of illuminated pavilions that come alive at night, completely transforming the ordinary urban space into a realm of enchantment and creativity. As a result, the plaza becomes a vibrant public gathering place, brimming with emotions and vitality. The organic shapes of the installations, combined with their immersive glow, provide an ideal setting for relaxation and contemplation during the evening hours. Moreover, they foster a sense of resonance and connection with the local culture while also seeking to explore new possibilities for urban public life.

© Chao Zhang

Floating Pavilion’s Design Concept

The Floating Pavilion takes its inspiration from the enchanting world of ancient marine plankton, particularly the graceful form and vibrant colors of jellyfish. Rather than simply imitating natural life forms, the installation delves into the realm between realism and abstraction, opening up new possibilities. It introduces an additional dimension of existence and emotions, serving as a medium to reconsider and reshape the intricate relationships between people, the city, and nature.

© Chao Zhang

At night, a collection of luminous structures with smooth curves and a serene aura gently intervenes in the city’s public space, fostering an inclusive environment. The soft and embracing light diffuses the noise and commotion of the square and streets, filtering out the dazzling city lights and cultivating a tranquil atmosphere conducive to contemplation. Visitors are invited to enter the body of the “jellyfish,” gazing upward, wandering, resting, and experiencing moments of deceleration. As the colors gradually shift, they are immersed in poetic sensations and boundless imaginative spaces. During public events, the installation maintains an open and welcoming attitude, providing a delightful space for in-person social interaction. People of all ages are encouraged to explore the installation and its surroundings spontaneously. It accommodates a diverse range of activities, helping to restore the warmth and vitality of the community by facilitating reconnection, reflection, and exploration of our shared future.

© Chao Zhang

The theme for this year’s Public Urban Festival, titled “Fantasy Encounters of Light,” takes place in the lively central square of Longgang district, known for its traditional functions. The design strategy aims to activate the original site by transforming it into an immersive and enchanting park, perfect for hosting night-time public cultural events. The installation design consists of two sets of luminous structures, creating a composition of “1+3” with one large pavilion and three medium-sized pavilions.  The pavilions are constructed with a combination of translucent inflatable film and metal frames. The film, when illuminated, creates a lightweight and curved surface that exhibits a mesmerizing texture as light permeates through. This material provides both sunshade and waterproof properties, ensuring the pavilions serve as temporary shelters from the unpredictable summer weather in the region. Drawing inspiration from natural organisms, the film surfaces are adorned with delightful shades of green, purple, and yellow.

© Chao Zhang

To enhance the captivating atmosphere, a programmed lighting system is incorporated within the pavilions. Full-spectrum RGB lamps are utilized, allowing for a gradual shift of colors over time. The rhythmic “breathing” frequency of the lighting system, set at every six seconds, synchronizes with the floating rhythm of deep-sea jellyfish and human breathing. This synchronization creates a unique and vibrant experience for visitors, immersing them in a world of light and wonder. The metal framework and straps of the installations are adorned with bright orange lines, creating a cohesive color scheme throughout. These straps play a crucial role as the primary support structure for the film surfaces, allowing for adaptability to changing weather conditions. They provide flexibility, enabling the film surfaces to expand and contract between day and night during hot summer days. In the event of extreme weather like a typhoon, the film structure can be deflated and secured to the metal frame using the straps, ensuring the safety and stability of the installations.

© Chao Zhang

At the heart of the design is a large pavilion, measuring 7 meters in diameter and 5.5 meters in height, serving as a prominent visual focal point and a landmark within the installation. This pavilion captures attention and invites viewers to look up, resembling a majestic jellyfish in the depths of the ocean, immersing them in a realm of light and shadow. To enhance the experience further, a sound installation is integrated into the pavilion, providing an auditory dimension to the overall sensory journey.

© Chao Zhang

Surrounding the large pavilion, three medium-sized pavilions are positioned in equilateral triangle formation, each with a diameter of 3.5 meters and a height of 2.5 meters. These pavilions are designed to be closer to human scale, encouraging active exploration and interaction, inviting people to become an integral part of the installations. The proposal also includes three small-scale “jellyfish” loungers, with a diameter of 1.75 meters each, flexibly distributed within the installation. These loungers, filled with luminescent liquid material, offer a comfortable resting spot, filling the void of public seating in the square. However, due to on-site management requirements, this aspect of the concept could not be realized on this occasion. Nevertheless, the concept of “public furniture” holds promise for future opportunities.

© Chao Zhang

As the summer heat gradually subsides into the night, people naturally gravitate towards the installations, seeking a moment of tranquility in this illuminated space. The inflatable film structure gracefully floats, appearing soft and relaxed, while the slowly changing halo creates a transparent and colorful spectacle, shrouded in a layer of mystery. Amidst the brightness, lies yet another layer of brightness. We invite people to join us in this floating reverie, embarking on a journey through billions of years, from the depths of the sea to the vastness of the universe, where fish swim gracefully like stars in the sky. In this space, we encourage thoughts to momentarily escape from the distractions of everyday life and ascend with radiant imagination.

© Chao Zhang

Daxing Jizi Design Studio’s approach to public art installations is rooted in bridging the gap between architectural design and artistic expression. Their works find inspiration in nature and utilize light as a medium to create inviting and warm atmospheres. Striving for a balance between aesthetics and functionality, the studio aims to captivate and engage the public through their installations. In today’s world, where social media dominates our lives, urban living can often feel mundane, trivial, lonely, and fragmented. Daxing Jizi Design Studio seeks to intervene in daily life through small-scale practices, creating “middle grounds” that merge with and transcend everyday scenes. By transforming the ambiance and functionality of original sites, their interventions provide an authentic and distinctive experience that counters the homogeneity and isolation imposed by large-scale, technology-driven cities and architecture.

© Chao Zhang

The studio views their installations as carriers of personal emotions and imagination, offering a sense of tranquility, joy, and emotional release. On a larger scale, these installations create natural spaces for encounters and interactions, opening up new possibilities for diverse activities and consumption scenarios. The participation and communication of individuals in these cultural experiences help foster a sense of belonging and cohesion with the community and urban life, leading to a broader sense of identity and unity. Daxing Jizi Design Studio aims for their works to act as “cohesion facilitators” in community life, promoting the flow, connection, and resonance of urban culture and the economy. By creating spaces that encourage participation and communication, their installations contribute to the strengthening of community bonds and a broader sense of shared identity.

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