On March 30, 2019, CROSSBOUNDARIES, alongside 70 other architects, planners, designers, artists, and urban research teams, showcased their installation titled “Known” – Unknown City at the opening exhibition of the new Pingshan Art Museum in Shenzhen. This event was part of the Contemporary Architectural Installation Image Exhibition in China.
In today’s cities, physical spaces often consist of repetitive modular elements made from various materials. How people relate to their artificial environments and fulfill their spiritual needs remains an enduring question.
This installation distills urban materials to their essence, inviting visitors—through BIM design—to enter a cyclical mirrored space composed of concrete, steel, and glass. Within this semi-enclosed area, framed by four mirrored walls, hangs an inverted concrete staircase. This prefabricated component, quickly cast as a whole, symbolizes the modern industrial technology propelling rapid urban growth through modular construction.
As visitors step inside, they are enveloped by an infinite recursive perspective created by multiple mirrors, giving the illusion of boundless space. Adding to the intrigue is the closed loop formed by the staircase itself and its reflection, reminiscent of Maurits Cornelis Escher’s famous 1953 print “Relativity”. This visual paradox blurs the line between ascending and descending.
Through this complex interplay of visual displacements, visitors experience a compelling tension between reality and illusion, objectivity and subjectivity, as well as individuality and collective identity.
(BIM Engineer)
Although the three primary materials of the installation—concrete, mirror, and steel—are all familiar to us, the city continues to present unpredictable allure and disorientation.
Project Information:
Curators: Zhang Yuxing, Ye Cheng, Han Jing
Organizer: People’s Government of Pingshan District, Shenzhen
Exhibition Period: March 30 to September 30, 2019
Location: Shenzhen, China
Exhibition Area: 10 square meters
Design Timeline: February to March 2019
Materials: Concrete, Mirror, Steel
Project Leaders: Binke Lenhardt, Dong Hao
Team Members: Gao Yang, Yu Zhaoxiong, Hou Jinghui, Hao Hongyi
Partner / Builder: China Construction Technology Co., Ltd. (Fan Zesen, Xu Muye, Luo Chuanwei)
Photography and Videography: Bai Yu, Dong Hao, Hao Hongyi
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