Turtlehill Design was honored to be invited to the multimedia and architectural installation exhibition titled “Chant of the Present Imagery” at the gallery space inside the Taikoo Hui Shopping Mall, and we created a spatial installation called “Starry Day”. In response to the theme of reading time through art, we were exploring ways of translating the immateriality of time through spatial expression.
With that in mind, we looked towards the starry night sky, particularly star trails, for design inspiration. Star trail is a type of photography in which one uses a time-lapse technique to document the movement of stars across the sky. In other words, the star trail is a painting created by time. We then transplanted these traces of star movement onto the installation, creating a curvilinear space.
In order to intensify the passing of time, we used two sinuous walls to frame an interior space that expands and contracts following the site boundary, creating a dynamic U-shaped container for the installation.
Next, we collected star data of the sky over the site during the exhibition period and combined it with parameters such as the angular velocity of the earth, and the latitude and longitude of the site to generate the star trails using an algorithm. Then, we projected the star trails on top of the container where slits were cut in three different widths according to the brightness of the stars. Lastly, we collaborated with the stage lighting designer to cast the star trails onto the curved walls, creating a flowing light and shadow effect inside the installation space.
To ensure the normal operation of the mall during the installation setup, we were given a period of seven nights to erect the structure. For this reason, the installation was divided into multiple parts, which were prefabricated in a factory and then installed on-site. Following the erection of the installation, we went through many rounds of lighting calculation and onsite testing to achieve the desired dynamic light and shadow effect.
Two abstract architectural components, a stair, and a roof were placed inside the installation, which intends to guide visitors to explore and interact with the installation. The motion of the human body further emphasized the synergy between light and shadow and movement. This installation created a space that allowed visitors to experience time from a multi-dimensional perspective.
This exhibition is one of the 10th Anniversary Series Activities of Taikoo Hui Guangzhou, which is curated by Zhiyi Culture. The curator Yang Qing invited three artists from different fields to convey their perception and understanding of space in a comprehensive way of architecture, sound, and video. Sound artist Yao Chunyang and video artist Liang Haiying put their works into this space installation to bring the audience a further immersive viewing experience. In addition, we also created a new media art installation "B612" in cooperation with CT.LAB. Through real-time data interaction, a more colorful star trail image is created, which creates a dialogue with the purer light and shadow in the space installation.
