Daxing Jizi Design inserts OctaPlay, a public art installation, into a site defined by monumental industrial remains in Beijing, reframing the heavy material legacy of the area through movement, color, and atmospheric change. The lightweight, kinetic structure is commissioned for Yong Ding He Ji, a cultural and lifestyle destination unfolding along the Yongding River at the foot of Shijingshan. Set within Shougang Park’s vast former steelworks, the installation takes its name from its eight-sided geometry. Its octagonal frame and folded surfaces recall paper origami, a contrast to the rigidity of the industrial environment.

The designers describe the project as a topological translation of Shougang Park’s iconic smokestacks. Still, instead of vertical mass, OctaPlay disperses volume into semi-transparent elements that rotate and overlap. Suspended colored discs move gently with the wind, their shifting alignments producing an ever-changing composition of light and shadow.

all images by Zhu Yumeng, unless stated otherwise

wind-driven installation reframes the industrial landscape

In their early design ideas, the Chinese team at Daxing Jizi Design explored weaving overlapping metal sheets. As the project developed, this approach evolved into a combination of folding and nesting, paired with both heavy and light materials. Color became central in the later stages. While the metal framework of OctaPlay was initially conceived in black, prolonged time on site led the team to reconsider. Surrounded daily by dark industrial structures, they introduced silver surfaces with soft peach tones on the reverse, subtly lightening the installation.

Wind becomes the invisible conductor of the installation, animating the suspended elements and determining their rhythm. As sunlight passes through the rotating discs, colored reflections drift across the ground, turning visitors into participants within a temporary field of light. 

Yong Ding He Ji occupies a complex terrain where riverbanks, mountains, and factory relics coexist. The broader development follows a strategy of minimal intervention and spatial extension, allowing architecture, art, and commercial programs to emerge from the existing ground. OctaPlay operates within this logic and responds to the surrounding chimneys and steel structures, translating their scale and symbolism into an abstract, human-scaled form.

OctaPlay by Daxing Jizi Design stands within Shougang Park’s former steelworks

suspended colored discs through folded metal surfaces | image by Li Haibin

the installation stands between industrial relics and surrounding hills

the installation invites visitors to move through shifting fields of color and shadow

OctaPlay reinterprets the vertical mass of smokestacks

cut-out openings and folded edges define the human-scaled structure

suspended discs rotate gently, producing overlapping chromatic effects

the folded structure frames light, color, and movement

layered geometry and rotating colored elements

wind-driven colored discs animate the installation

an ever-changing composition of light and shadow | image by Kong Fansheng

wind becomes the invisible conductor of the installation | image by Kong Fansheng

octagonal frame and folded surfaces recall paper origami | image by Kong Fansheng

snow transforms OctaPlay into a seasonal landmark | image by Yong Ding He Ji

project info:

name: OctaPlay

artist: Daxing Jizi Design | @daxingjizi

location: Yong Ding He Ji, Shougang Park, Beijing (Shijingshan District, left bank of Yongding River)

area: 50 square meters

project director: Xie Qiongzhi

lead designer: Zeng Zhenwei

design consultant: Li Wenhai

structural engineering: AND Office

client: Yong Ding He Ji

photographer: Zhu Yumeng | @yumeng_zhu_coppakstudio, Kong Fansheng

The post suspended colored discs move through daxing jizi design’s faceted installation in beijing appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

DIVIDED is an illuminating installation by Spanish urban artist SpY presented during the Lighting Xi’an Festival 2025, China. The public artwork forms part of the artist’s ongoing investigation into the relationships between body, space, scale, and perception. The project examines how light and monumental form can reshape spatial experience and alter the reading of an urban environment.

The installation consists of a large luminous sphere rendered in red light and divided into two identical hemispheres that are positioned apart from one another. Each half is housed within a metal framework constructed from industrial scaffolding, a system commonly associated with temporary construction. In this context, the scaffolding operates as both a structural support and a visible component of the work, establishing a contrast between the rigid, cubic geometry of the frame and the smooth curvature of the spherical forms. This juxtaposition introduces a condition of containment, in which the sphere appears simultaneously revealed and restrained.

all images courtesy of SpY

in SpY’s DIVIDED installation, Light becomes the primary material

Monumental in scale, the installation establishes a direct spatial relationship with the surrounding environment and the human body. The work is experienced not only as an object in space but also as a spatial configuration that responds to proximity and movement. Visitors can pass between the two hemispheres, entering the gap created by the division of the sphere. This passage functions as a corridor of light, in which the viewer becomes positioned within the work rather than observing it from the exterior.

In DIVIDED, interaction is directed inward, emphasizing immersion and bodily engagement. The use of red light, recurrent in the artist’s recent projects, defines the atmosphere of the installation and contributes to a suspended spatial condition shaped by illumination rather than enclosure alone. The work reconfigures the site through light, scale, and movement, positioning perception itself as a central material. DIVIDED is part of SpY’s Earth series, which also includes Earth and Confronted. The series has been presented in multiple cities, including Madrid, Athens, Riyadh, and Ghent, and addresses themes of fragmentation, coexistence, and spatial confrontation through large-scale luminous installations.

DIVIDED by SpY at the Lighting Xi’an Festival 2025

a large red luminous sphere split into two identical hemispheres

the installation explores body, space, scale, and perception

monumental form and light reshape the surrounding urban environment

each hemisphere is supported by an exposed industrial scaffolding frame

red light defines the spatial atmosphere of the installation

light becomes the primary material defining space

scale blurs conventional references of distance and enclosure

project info:

name: DIVIDED
designer: SpY | @spy__studio

organizer: Xian Mixc
curator: Wavelength
event: Lighting Xi’an Festival

location: Xi’an, China

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

The post SpY’s monumental divided sphere installation illuminates xi’an in bright red light appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

The Rijksmuseum is set to expand its public presence beyond its historic walls with the creation of a sculpture garden of international scope, scheduled to open in autumn 2026 in Amsterdam. Enabled by a €60 million donation from the Don Quixote Foundation, the project will introduce a freely accessible green cultural landscape in Amsterdam, bringing together modern and contemporary sculpture, landscape design, and architectural adaptation. The new outdoor complex, officially titled the Don Quixote Pavilion and Garden at the Rijksmuseum, will present works by artists including Alberto Giacometti, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Jean Arp, Roni Horn, and Henry Moore, alongside a rotating program of temporary exhibitions.

Located just steps from the Rijksmuseum at the intersection of Boerenwetering, Ruysdaelkade, and Stadhouderskade, the garden will merge three existing pavilions and their surrounding plots with the Carel Willinkplantsoen into a single continuous site. Until now, the pavilions, built in the Amsterdam School style, have remained closed to the public. Their transformation into sculpture exhibition spaces will be led by Foster + Partners, while the landscape itself will be shaped by Belgian architect Piet Blanckaert. 

artist impression of the planned Rijksmuseum sculpture garden | image courtesy of Foster + Partners

a new public art landscape for amsterdam

The initiative marks a significant expansion of the Rijksmuseum’s engagement with 20th-century sculpture, both spatially and institutionally. According to museum director Taco Dibbits, ‘This is a donation of historic significance, and a historic moment for the Rijksmuseum. It will give modern sculpture the visibility it deserves. It also marks an unprecedented enhancement of the Rijksmuseum’s collection of 20th-century art.’ The Don Quixote Foundation will not only fund the development of the garden but will also place a substantial group of sculptures on long-term loan with the museum, reinforcing the curatorial depth of the project.

Beyond its artistic ambitions, the garden is also conceived as an ecological intervention within the city. Plans include the planting of twenty-two mature trees and the introduction of a wider range of native flowers and plant species, intended to support urban biodiversity. The space will be accessible free of charge during the day, with its main entrance opening onto Stadhouderskade. The final schedule for public access will be determined in consultation with local residents and municipal authorities. ‘This is a wonderful gift for everyone in Amsterdam. Local residents, city dwellers and art lovers will soon be enjoying the tranquil natural surroundings and artistic beauty,’ states Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema.

the Don Quixote Pavilion and Garden at the Rijksmuseum | image courtesy of Foster + Partners

Rijksmuseum Gardens |  image courtesy of the Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum Gardens |  image courtesy of the Rijksmuseum

Louise Bourgeois, Maman | image courtesy of Khao Yai Art Forest

Calder Gardens, 2025. Photo by Iwan Baan. Artwork by Alexander Calder © 2025 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

project info:

name: Don Quixote Pavilion and Garden at the Rijksmuseum

location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

institution: Rijksmuseum | @rijksmuseum

main donor: Don Quixote Foundation

total donation: €60 million

architect: Foster + Partners | @fosterandpartners

landscape design: Piet Blanckaert | @pietblanckaert

The post rijksmuseum to open sculpture garden in amsterdam with pavilions by foster + partners appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Located in the center of Ljubljana, Water Sculpture LJ is a site-specific public artwork realized by M.KOCBEK architects and P PLUS arhitekti nine years after winning a public design competition. Conceived as a spatial intervention within the city’s dense urban fabric, the sculpture introduces a defined micro-environment that operates as a small urban platform. Its continuous, rounded geometry establishes a distinct spatial condition that contrasts with the surrounding movement of the city while remaining visually and physically accessible.

The mirrored sculpture is formed as a continuous spatial loop that frames views and directs movement, producing a sequence of changing visual perspectives. Rather than functioning as an object to be observed from a distance, the installation is designed as an inhabitable structure that supports movement, sitting, and tactile engagement. The spatial configuration allows passers-by to move through and within the form, integrating everyday use into the experience of the artwork and positioning it as part of the public realm rather than a detached sculptural object.

all images by Ana Skobe

Water Flow and Reflective Surfaces Animate the Urban Context

Water circulation is integrated as a central design element, reinforcing themes of movement, continuity, and flow. The presence of water operates both spatially and symbolically, referencing natural cycles and processes through continuous motion. This integration positions the sculpture as an interface between material form and environmental dynamics, linking physical presence with less tangible phenomena such as circulation, transformation, and connectivity.

For the designers Mojca Kocbek of M.KOCBEK architects and Primož Boršič of P PLUS arhitekti, material selection plays a key role in the project’s interaction with its context. The sculpture is constructed from stainless steel, chosen for its reflective properties and durability in an urban environment. Its surface mirrors surrounding activity, light conditions, and weather, causing the sculpture’s appearance to shift throughout the day. Under different atmospheric conditions, the form alternately asserts itself or visually recedes, responding to changes in light, sky, and movement around it.

Water Sculpture LJ is located in the center of Ljubljana as a site-specific public artwork

Water Sculpture LJ functions as a spatial landmark within Ljubljana’s public space network. Designed to connect rather than divide, it supports multiple forms of engagement while maintaining an open relationship with its surroundings. Through its spatial continuity, material responsiveness, and integration of water, the project contributes a flexible public element that operates at the intersection of art, landscape, and urban infrastructure.

the sculpture introduces a defined micro-environment within the dense urban fabric

a continuous, rounded geometry establishes a distinct spatial condition

the mirrored surface contrasts with the movement of the surrounding city

the sculpture is formed as a continuous spatial loop

the installation produces a sequence of changing visual perspectives

the surface mirrors light, weather, and surrounding urban activity

passers-by move through and within the sculptural form

project info:

name: Water Sculpture LJ
designers: M.KOCBEK architects – Mojca Kocbek | @mojcakocbek, P PLUS arhitekti – Primož Boršič | @pplusarhitekti

investor: Municipality of Ljubljana

location: Slovenska cesta, Ljubljana, Slovenia

area: 150 sqm

photographer: Ana Skobe | @anaskobe

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

The post continuous steel loop forms water sculpture reflecting ljubljana’s urban fabric appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

OAS/S-ELY is an architectural art installation by Zhide Architectural Design located on Huanglong Island in Shengsi County, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, China. Positioned within a coastal landscape shaped by sea winds and rocky reefs, the public art project functions as an art gateway that mediates between past, present, and future narratives through form, material, and environmental interaction.

The installation is developed as part of the ‘Island Co-construction Project,’ a long-term rural sustainability initiative initiated by Ideal in the Wild. Conceived as a 20-year research and development framework, the project uses Huanglong Island as a testing ground for sustainable rural practices. It combines physical interventions with community-based participation, supported by an online co-creation network that includes more than 3,000 participants worldwide engaged in discussions and proposals related to rural development.

all images by Noah Swh

Zhide utilizes Steel and Water Vapor to Shape Spatial Perception

OAS/S-ELY is primarily constructed from steel components and is designed as a spatial marker within the island’s landscape. For Zhide Architectural Design Studio, the form references movement and transition, allowing multiple readings without relying on literal representation. A controlled misting system is integrated into the structure, releasing water vapor to simulate cloud-like conditions. This system alters visibility and spatial perception over time, creating an environment that shifts in response to atmospheric conditions and user presence.

Through its material assembly, environmental responsiveness, and placement within a broader sustainability framework, OAS/S-ELY operates as both an architectural object and a platform for interaction. The project explores how built form can engage ecological processes and collective participation while contributing to ongoing discussions around rural regeneration and future-oriented design practices.

OAS/S-ELY is an architectural art installation by Zhide Architectural Design on Huanglong Island, China

the installation is set within a coastal landscape shaped by sea winds and rocky reefs

OAS/S-ELY functions as an art gateway within the island’s natural terrain

the public artwork’s placement responds directly to the island’s coastal conditions

the installation invites interaction amongst village visitors and children

the installation is primarily constructed from steel components

the form acts as a spatial marker within the island landscape

the structure references movement and transition rather than fixed symbolism

as one sits on the swing and gently sways, the mist above is triggered, reshaping the movement

the hidden mist system atop OAS/S-ELY transforms the installation into a continuously evolving environment

the project mediates between past, present, and future through form and material

project info:

name: OAS/S-ELY

architects: Zhide Architectural Design Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

design team: Zhengdong Li, Rubing Bai, Xu Wen

location: Shengsi County, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, China

area: 18.5 sqm

photographer: Noah Swh

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

The post forest of steel pillars creates swinging installation enveloped in cloud-like mist in china appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Drawing Architecture Studio has completed a large-scale, site-specific rolling ball installation in Chengdu, China, commissioned by Taikoo Li Chengdu, an open-air, low-rise commercial and cultural district in the city center. Installed for the holiday season in a central plaza facing a thousand-year-old temple, the installation titled Fun Palace transforms the site into an immersive landscape of movement, combining five looping ball-track systems with five sculptural architectural forms. Drawing on Aldo Rossi’s ideas of architecture as a repository of collective memory and echoing the spirit of Luna Luna, the 1987 Hamburg art amusement park that turned works by artists such as Keith Haring and Salvador Dalí into playful public experiences, the public installation frames architecture as a tool for joy, participation, and everyday wonder.

2025 winter public art installation at Taikoo Li Chengdu | all images © Arch-Exist Photography unless stated otherwise

‘fun Palace’ Weaves Kinetic Landscape into Chengdu plaza

The Fun Palace installation occupies a plaza framed by ginkgo trees and a shallow reflecting pool, a space that becomes the setting for a temporary artwork each holiday season. Drawing Architecture Studio fills the site with overlapping tracks that weave around five miniature buildings, creating a layered environment that visitors can walk through, observe, and inhabit. Each building functions both as an independent sculpture and as a key node within the kinetic system, redirecting the rolling balls and altering their speed as they pass through.

At ground level, the curved outline of the installation echoes the fluid geometry of the tracks above, while parts of the system extend into the surrounding tree clusters, visually integrating architecture and landscape. Colorful metal balls and custom benches are scattered throughout the plaza, encouraging visitors to pause and watch the choreography of movement unfold.

the Stage, echoing the forms of Sichuan opera headpieces

Everyday Rituals Transformed into Playful Architectural Forms

The five sculptural forms reinterpret familiar local activities, eating hotpot, visiting teahouses, playing mahjong, watching Sichuan opera, and skiing in nearby mountains, into fictional ‘architectural sculptures.’ These memories shape both the appearance of the structures and the specific routes of the rolling balls, turning cultural references into spatial and kinetic experiences.

Constructed from ordinary corrugated PVC panels, the installation maintains an everyday material language while achieving a precise and carefully crafted finish. Fun Palace ultimately proposes a lighter, more playful role for architecture in public space, one that invites curiosity and shared experience within the contemporary urban fabric. 

the Mahjong Building, referencing both mahjong tables and the zigzag staircases of the locally well-known Yuanyang Building

the Teahouse | image © UNIQ Energy

the Hotpot City, drawn from the image of a hotpot

the Teahouse, inspired by Sichuan’s long-neck teapots

the Ski Tower, reinterpreting the watchtowers of Qiang villages outside Chengdu

the Hotpot City within the track network | image © UNIQ Energy

the rolling ball track network | image © UNIQ Energy

the installation titled Fun Palace transforms the site into an immersive landscape of movement

the Stage interwoven with the track network

the installation combines five looping ball-track systems with five sculptural architectural forms | image © UNIQ Energy

project info: 

name: Fun Palace
architects: Drawing Architecture Studio | @drawingarchitecturestudio
design team: Li Han, Hu Yan, Zhang Xintong

curation & track structure design: UNIQ Energy

location: Chengdu, China

The post playful rolling ball installation by drawing architecture studio transforms chengdu plaza appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Carsten Höller installs Pink Mirror Carousel on the ice rink of the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz this winter, introducing a slowed, reflective amusement structure to the Alpine resort. Clad in pink mirrored panels and precisely calibrated to complete a full rotation every two minutes, the work takes a familiar fairground structure and transforms it into an immersive sculptural environment that folds time, movement, and spectatorship into a disorienting experience set against the Engadin landscape.

Installed outdoors on the hotel’s ice rink, Pink Mirror Carousel continues Höller’s long-standing engagement with amusement rides as what he calls ‘confusion machines.’ Rather than delivering speed or thrill, the carousel deliberately slows the body down. Its rotation becomes almost meditative, encouraging riders to register duration, repetition, and anticipation as material conditions. The structure is composed of twelve identical mirrored segments arranged as a dodecagon, reflecting skaters, riders, the surrounding mountains, and the carousel itself in shifting fragments. 

all images courtesy of Kulm Hotel St. Moritz

Pink Mirror Carousel rotates on the Kulm Hotel ice rink

While earlier carousel works by Höller have required up to twenty-four hours for a single turn, the St. Moritz installation completes its cycle in exactly two minutes. This double minute references the carousel’s counter-rotating elements, with the top turning counter-clockwise and the middle section rotating clockwise. The result is a subtle but persistent sense of misalignment, where mechanical precision and bodily perception never fully sync. As Baldo Hauser, the Belgian artist’s alter ego, notes, the work functions as ‘a sculpture with people inside, animating the inanimate, the mechanical, the lifeless rotation with the realness of human bodies being transported through their own biological time.’

Music curated by the Kulm Hotel’s directeur d’ambiance, Arman Naféei, accompanies the skating rink, layering sound into the experience. Open to both hotel guests and the public, the installation operates as a shared, temporary situation.

Carsten Höller installs Pink Mirror Carousel on the ice rink of the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz

Pink Mirror Carousel continues Höller’s long-standing engagement with amusement rides

its rotation becomes almost meditative, encouraging riders to register duration

composed of twelve identical mirrored segments

reflecting skaters, riders, the surrounding mountains

Carsten Höller at the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz, Switzerland

project info:

name: Pink Mirror Carousel

artist: Carsten Höller | @carsten.holler

location: Kulm Hotel St. Moritz | @kulmhotel, St. Moritz, Switzerland

The post carsten höller’s pink mirrored carousel slows rotation to stretch time in the alps appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Vancouver-based artist David Spriggs completes his latest public artwork, Astra, within the atrium of the State Docking Building in Kansas. Suspended high above the public floor, the work takes shape as a spatial installation to be experienced from below, around, and through movement.

From a distance, Astra reads as a loose atmospheric mass gathered beneath the ceiling plane. As viewers approach, its structure becomes legible through a sequence of layered acrylic sheets, each UV printed and suspended in alignment. The installation floats within the space lightly and forms a volume defined by depth and spacing rather than solid mass. Sightlines through the atrium shift continuously as the layers compress and separate in perspective.

images courtesy the artist

david spriggs’ shifting artwork to be viewed gradually

David Spriggs constructs Astra through stacked transparent planes that carry fragments of image and color. Individually, each sheet appears partial and insubstantial. Together, they generate a volumetric presence that feels architectural in scale yet dependent on position and movement. The acrylic surfaces catch ambient light from the atrium while integrated LED lighting sharpens edges and intensifies chromatic transitions.

Mirrored stainless steel panels installed above extend the visual field vertically, multiplying the perceived height of the installation and folding the atrium back into itself. This reflection doubles the depth of the work and reinforces its suspension between ceiling and floor. Steel beams and hanging hardware remain precise and restrained, as the layered field reads as a continuous — yet ephemeral — whole.

The artist creates this work to reward slow circulation. Viewed from one angle, the form appears to dissolve into thin lines and gaps. From another, density returns and the volume coheres. This constant recalibration places the body in an active role, with perception shaped by pace and position. This way, the atrium becomes a space for pause and observation rather than passage alone. 

Astra hangs within the atrium of the State Docking Building in Kansas

the installation occupies the atrium of the civic building

layered acrylic sheets form a spatial image through depth and alignment

the work changes appearance as viewers move through the atrium

mirrored surfaces extend the perceived height of the space

movement shapes how the form gathers and disperses in view

project info:

project title: Astra

artist: David Spriggs | @david_spriggs

location: State Docking Building Kansas, USA
completion: 2025

photography: © David Spriggs

The post artist david spriggs suspends ‘astra’ installation as an ephemeral cloud of transparent planes appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Emirati artist Shaikha Al Mazrou presents The Contingent Object at Manar Abu Dhabi 2025, a public light art exhibition unfolding within a coastal landscape shaped by mangroves and tidal air.

Sited close to water, the luminous work takes the form of a circular salt field measuring roughly thirty meters across. The installation registers time through material change. Seawater settles into a shallow plane, and as heat and wind take hold, evaporation thickens the surface. Color intensifies, crystals begin to assemble, and a pale crust develops along the edges. What begins as a calm liquid state gradually compacts into a dense, reflective plane, carrying the imprint of climate and duration.

Shaikha Al Mazrou, Contingent Object, 2025. Manar Abu Dhabi 2025. image courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi & Public Art Abu Dhabi. photo by Lance Gerber

Shaikha Al Mazrou uses Material as Process

Creating the Contingent Object, artist Shaikha Al Mazrou, employs salt as both medium and indicator. The material’s responsiveness to environment gives the piece a living quality, shaped daily by light levels, humidity, and shifting temperatures. The ground plane remains precise in geometry, yet its surface resists exact repetition. Fine variations accrue across the circle, producing subtle tonal gradients and textures that register up close before resolving at scale.

After dusk, a restrained lighting system activates along the perimeter and beneath the salt plane. The illumination stays low and even, allowing the circle to hover visually above the ground. Approached on foot, the work reveals itself gradually. The surrounding darkness compresses attention toward the illuminated edge, creating a measured spatial rhythm that encourages slow movement and extended viewing.

Shaikha Al Mazrou, Contingent Object, 2025. Manar Abu Dhabi 2025. image courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi & Public Art Abu Dhabi. photo by Lance Gerber

Light, Landscape, and Duration

Within the broader context of Manar Abu Dhabi, The Contingent Object participates in a city-scale conversation about light, site, and public access. The biennial brings together installations that engage outdoor settings through restraint and technical precision. Our recent coverage of DRIFT’s installation for Manar Abu Dhabi, which translated motion and aerial choreography into a shared nocturnal experience, offers a point of comparison rooted in light as a spatial tool rather than an effect-driven gesture.

Shaikha Al Mazrou’s approach remains grounded in physical transformation. Light plays a supporting role, tracing the boundary of the work rather than overtaking it. The glow frames the salt field and reveals the incremental shifts in its surface, reinforcing the idea of duration as a central design parameter.

Shaikha Al Mazrou, Contingent Object, 2025. Manar Abu Dhabi 2025. image courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi & Public Art Abu Dhabi

Shaikha Al Mazrou, Contingent Object, 2025. Manar Abu Dhabi 2025. image courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi & Public Art Abu Dhabi. photo by Lance Gerber

Shaikha Al Mazrou, Contingent Object, 2025. Manar Abu Dhabi 2025. image courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi & Public Art Abu Dhabi. photo by Lance Gerber

Shaikha Al Mazrou, Contingent Object, 2025. Manar Abu Dhabi 2025. image courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi & Public Art Abu Dhabi. photo by Lance Gerber

Shaikha Al Mazrou, Contingent Object, 2025. Manar Abu Dhabi 2025. image courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi & Public Art Abu Dhabi. photo by Lance Gerber

Shaikha Al Mazrou, Contingent Object, 2025. Manar Abu Dhabi 2025. image courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi & Public Art Abu Dhabi

project info:

name: Contingent Object

artist: Shaikha Al Mazrou | @shaikha.almazrou

location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

photography: © Lance Gerber | @lance.gerber

festival: Manar Abu Dhabi 2025 | @publicartabudhabi

theme: The Light Compass

dates: November 15th, 2025 – January 4th, 2026

The post shaikha al mazrou creates light art from crystallized seawater at manar abu dhabi appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

The Christmas Festival of Bad Habits is a temporary public-space installation located on Římské náměstí in the historic center of Brno, Czech Republic. Developed by architectural studio Peer Collective in collaboration with artist Kateřina Šedá, the non-profit organization Renadi, and the Brno-střed Municipal District, the project reconsiders the spatial and social format of the traditional Christmas market. Instead of retail-driven programming, the installation introduces a structured environment for reflection, movement, and collective experience.

The project occupies a long-overlooked urban site adjacent to Františkánská Street, transforming the square into a calm, barrier-free environment during the holiday season. Its conceptual framework draws from Šedá’s long-term participatory project, The National Collection of Bad Habits, which examines everyday behaviors and shared social patterns. This material informs a guided spatial sequence designed as a path of self-reflection through the square.

Peer Collective’s architectural intervention consists of a lightweight, temporary structure made from modular truss systems commonly used in stage construction. From this framework, large red and white curtains are suspended, subdividing the square into eighteen open-air ‘rooms.’ These spaces create a sequence of thresholds, passages, and partial enclosures that encourage slow movement and individual engagement. The curtains operate as soft architectural elements, forming spatial boundaries without fully enclosing the space and maintaining visual continuity with the surrounding city.

all images by Matej Hakár unless stated otherwise

An Urban Interior for Reflection and Collective Experience

The installation covers approximately 2,478 sqm and functions as an urban interior within the public realm. During evening hours, the white curtain surfaces serve as projection screens for text-based testimonies derived from The National Collection of Bad Habits. These projections, combined with subdued lighting and ambient sound, transform the square into an open-air exhibition environment that blurs the distinction between public space and personal reflection. At the center of the spatial sequence is a freestanding ‘confessional’ structure composed of six individual booths. Replacing the conventional market stall, this element serves as the focal point of the installation. Visitors are invited to enter the booths to record or reflect on personal habits, contributing to a collective audiovisual system that aggregates individual input into a shared narrative. Circulation routes guide visitors back around the curtain perimeter, completing the spatial loop and returning them to the surrounding urban fabric.

Accessibility and inclusion form a key part of the project’s spatial strategy. The ground surface of the square was leveled with fine gravel to create a barrier-free environment suitable for wheelchair users, parents with strollers, and visitors with limited mobility. The installation operates without alcohol sales, reinforcing its role as a sober and inclusive public setting during the holiday period. Local residents also participated in preparing the site through a community event prior to the festival. Through temporary architecture, minimal material intervention, and participatory content, the Christmas Festival of Bad Habits demonstrates how seasonal urban installations can shift emphasis from consumption to spatial experience, reflection, and shared presence. The project positions architecture as a framework for social interaction, using adaptable construction systems and soft boundaries to reshape public space in the city center. Designed by architectural studio Peer Collective in collaboration with artist Kateřina Šedá, the installation is on view from December 9th to December 31st, 2025.

the temporary installation reinterprets the traditional Christmas market as a space for reflection

a long-overlooked urban square is reactivated as a calm public environment

the installation functions as an urban interior within the public realm

the Christmas Festival of Bad Habits occupies Římské náměstí in Brno’s historic center

red and white curtains subdivide the square into eighteen open-air rooms

modular truss systems form the lightweight structural framework

the installation replaces retail stalls with a guided spatial sequence

a central confessional structure anchors the spatial sequence

the project was developed by Peer Collective with artist Kateřina Šedá and local partners

temporary architecture frames social interaction without permanent intervention

circulation routes expand beyond the central installation before returning to the city

white curtain surfaces become projection screens after dark | image by Jan Urbášek

project info:

name: Christmas Festival of Bad Habits
architect: Peer Collective | @peer.archi

art concept: Kateřina Šedá | @katerinaseda.cz

location: Římské náměstí, Františkánská ulice, Brno, Czech Republic

dates: December 9th–December 31st, 2025

built-up area: 1784 sqm

client: Brno-střed Municipal District

lead designers: Daniel Struhařík, Georgi Dimitrov, Ondřej Válek [Peer Collective] + Kateřina Šedá

design team: Vojtěch Heralecký, Jakub Čevela, Jan Urbášek, Radim Koutný, Monika Matějkovičová, Aneta Báčová

idea initiator: Renadi | @renadibrno

graphic design: Kristína Drinková

editors: Lucie Faulerová, Petra Konečná

interactive concept: Zkrat kolektiv | @zkrat.kolektiv

production: Martin Ondruš, David Ondra, Lenka Holenda Jirků, Michal Ondráček, Petr Štika, Martina Pokorná, Radim Preuss

structure contractor: Kletch CZ

curtain supplier: Kubíček Factory

contractor of the confessional: Georgi Dimitrov

projector supplier: Jaroslav Zelina

photographer: Matej Hakár | @matejhakar

night photos: Jan Urbášek [Peer Collective]

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

The post red and white curtains transform czech historic center’s pathways into christmas installation appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.