Installation, 2025
Hangzhou, China
Design: ZHANG Jie
Built with SHENG
Once removed, a constellation of openings remains. People can slip through, peek across, or simply rest within these voids, while sunlight filters through the cutouts, casting shifting geometric shadows on the ground. The wall becomes both stage and structure—a setting for small performances, casual encounters, or the choreography of light and movement.
The work reimagines what a wall can be: from division to connection, from surface to space, from passive viewing to active engagement. By turning abstract geometry into something tactile and inhabitable, it invites playful participation and a heightened awareness of one’s surroundings. Bright color fragments act as visual cues, drawing people near and hinting that everyday life can always open into a moment of imagination.
Ultimately, the project transforms structure into interaction and geometry into gesture—suggesting that even the simplest wall can become a shared stage for curiosity, encounter, and care.
The installation was primarily built from 18mm-thick solid plywood panels, pre-cut digitally, which allowed the assembly to be completed quickly within two days. I assembled the structure together with a carpenter, and two additional workers joined me in applying the paint.
Transporting the installation from the workshop to the exhibition site became a small ritual in itself. The carpenter, the resident staff, and I moved the structure together—though, somewhat unfortunately, it happened to be raining that day.
The colorful geometric forms on the wall can be detached and used as public seating or as props for performances, making the space adaptable to a variety of activities. Since the project was realized in autumn, the shapes were painted in tones that evoke the season.
Once completed, the installation served as the centerpiece for a local market event. Workshops, a dog agility event, and live music performances took place here, inviting people—and their pets—to engage with the space in their own playful and personal ways.
Project Index