BEIJING BIENNALE CUBE
Temporary Installation, 2013
Beijing, China
The cube, a 3-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, is one of the most iconic and basic geometries, and has been the basis of art, design, and science throughout history. We are interested in challenging the notion of a cube as a solid object, a cube as a space that can lose its distinct boundary once occupied, and the fundamental way a cube sits on the ground. We are interested in creating an experience that is optically stimulating and spatially rich through the design of an abstract geometric "cube."
The proposal is aimed at creating a three-dimensional spatial experience to activate the urban environment, one that capitalizes directly on the inherent spatial characteristics of line. By using a semi-repetitious field of twisting "surfaces," the proposal moves back and forth between complex field and coherent geometric pattern. Ultimately, we're interested in the transcendence of line into a completely engulfing experience- one that can be occupied as a kind of three-dimensional drawing. This ambition is aimed at creating a level of curiosity about the piece- where the way of taking it in moves from geometrical object, to a sense of enclosure, to a dynamic field of shifting trajectories.
The design process began with a simple two-dimensional plane with a series of patterns, consisting of line-work, drawn across the surface. That surface is then repeated in space, creating six planes, each offset a distance of 177 centimeters from another, forming a perfect cube. As the planes within that cube are offset, each transforms, requiring the planes of lines to adapt, twist, and contort in order to maintain a connective relationship with the next. This creates cavities of space formed by continuously warping planes that reach deep into the volume. Eventually, the planes spill out of the volume, lifting the volume into the air, becoming structural supports for the now precariously tilted volume of lines.
Project Credits:
Principal Architects:
Dwayne Oyler
Jenny Wu
Design Team:
Lung Chi Chang
Dustin Columbatto
Eric Lalone
Huy Le
Shawn Rassekh
Sanjay Sukie
Yaohua Wang
Structural Engineering: Matt Melnyk, Nous Engineering
Lighting Designer: Lux Populi
Photography: Jason Wheeler, Lam Kaiming Lin