Installation, 2025
Hangzhou, China
Design: ZHANG Jie
Built with SHENG Yingheng
It’s a box measuring about 4.8 meters long, 1.8 meters high, and 0.6 meters deep. When closed, the structure appears to be a simple wall—its smooth surface traced with the two-dimensional silhouettes of furniture and domestic objects, like a moment of everyday life held in suspension. As visitors approach, touch, and pull, the wall begins to activate: tables, chairs, a sofa, shelves, and lighting gradually slide outwards, unfolding into a temporary, theatrical environment.
Each extendable element forms part of the spatial experience, inviting people to contribute to the making of the space through the movement of their hands. The installation is accessible from both sides, allowing people to sit, converse, and share a coffee around it—or simply to encounter it as an artwork that shifts the boundary between the everyday and the playful.
It’s a box with furniture that can unfold from both sides. Each piece can either be pulled out for use or stored back into the structure. Placed in a public square, it invites passersby to interact with the furniture in their own ways—sitting, gathering, resting, or simply exploring the shifting forms.
To allow the furniture to be temporarily attached to the surface of the box, the carpenter and I designed a simple locking mechanism using nails and leftover wood blocks. With a small twist, each piece can be released or secured in place.
The structure is primarily made from 18mm solid plywood panels that were pre-cut using digital fabrication, which allowed the assembly to be completed in just two days. I worked with one carpenter to build the installation, and two additional workers joined me to finish the painting.
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