Swing Up & Landing
BAM was invited to design swing works for the Nanhai Land Art Festival, which is the largest biennale art field in mainland China directed by the famous Japanese curator Fram Kitagawa. BAM brought a pair of swings to Foshan.
“Swing Up”, deconstructs and rearranges the traditional Lion Dance, playfully referencing auspicious Chinese idioms. The eyes as the main element of the piece have different shapes, referring to the different characters of the dancing lion. The lions jolly mouth reveals is wide open and playful springs sway in the wind. The support columns bend subtly, abstracting into four long legs and ending with two pairs of playful ‘lucky feet’ of the dancing lion.
“Landing” mimics the ocean’s ebb and flow, revealing all types of traditional Chinese mythical beasts and reinterpreting various elements of local architecture and handicrafts with a colorful twist. Some of the mythical beasts in the water have come ashore, and some are still fighting for opportunities. The shelter under the roof, paying homage to traditional houses in Foshan, lights up a beacon in the ocean celebrating all that came ashore. The fluorescent colors pop out from the shelter of the tree. The sleek square support columns echo the bent branches of a plant species known as the “Sifang Bamboo” growing on site.
AWARDS: 2023 Grands Prix du Design Gold Winner
LOCATION: Foshan
TYPE: Installation and Fountain Design
YEAR: 2022
STATUS: Complete
CLIENT: Hubart
CONSTRUCTION: Trycool