Created by MAT Super Architecture, this spatial installation was featured at the Dapeng Creek Branch of the 2019 Shenzhen Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen). It was part of the exhibition segment titled “Post Collective Era.” The design process took 30 days, on-site construction lasted 7 days, and the installation was displayed for 90 days during the biennial.
▲ View of the installation from the forest © Tang Kangshuo
The installation, titled “Bonfire,” is situated in an unused barbecue area within the Xiyong Workers’ Resort in Shenzhen’s Dapeng New District. Surrounded by trees, the site overlooks the sea and Xiyong Beach to the south. This centralized barbecue area consists of dozens of circular and square barbecue units, creating a uniform, repetitive, and anonymous landscape. This arrangement serves as a metaphor for the standardized “collective” style characteristic of the planned economy era. Moreover, the widespread repetition of consumer activities like communal barbecuing subconsciously continues collective behavior and echoes a bygone ideal world amidst the cultural crisis provoked by rapid, anxious consumerism.
▲ Aerial view of the bonfire site © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Bonfire and surrounding forest © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Project overview © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Bonfire amusement park © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Aerial view of the installation before and after completion © Tang Kangshuo, Zhang Miao
▲ Aerial comparison before and after the construction of Bonfire Park © Tang Kangshuo
In today’s social networks, the dynamic between individuals and collectives reshapes our perception of public spaces. Anonymous individuals constantly face the risk of alienation, while collectives are being redefined through constant transformation. This project attempts to disrupt the original barracks-style layout of the barbecue area, transforming it into an instantaneous connection and reorganization of free individuals. Through local construction, an ephemeral “collective” space is formed within the barbecue area.
▲ Development diagram of the installation © MAT Super Architecture Firm
▲ Instant collective space © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Facing the sea © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Immersed in the installation © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Continuous undulations © Tang Kangshuo
“Bonfire” marks the birth of a new collective in the forest by the sea. The installation creates a continuous spatial device inspired by the original stove layout of the barbecue area. The bonfire above the stoves symbolizes one of humanity’s earliest representations of “collectivity,” serving both as a testament to the former collective’s presence and a projection of today’s spatial collectivity.
▲ Visualization of the bonfire device © MAT Super Architecture Firm
▲ Connection and coverage © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Space beneath the flames © Tang Kangshuo
The “Bonfire” installation features a continuous spatial structure crafted from interlocking yellow scaffolding combined with colorful sprays applied on site. This creates a lively public activity area, transforming the abandoned and dull barbecue space into a vibrant amusement park. The elastic materials rhythmically vibrate with the sea breeze, symbolizing the passage of time and the presence of a collective. At night, clusters of large yellow flames glowing in the twilight woods seem to narrate the story of endless human interaction.
▲ Under the architecture © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Architectural details © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Device details © Tang Kangshuo
▲ Axonometric diagram © MAT Super Architecture Firm
▲ Rendering © MAT Super Architecture Firm
▲ General layout © MAT Super Architecture Firm
▲ Project plan © MAT Super Architecture Firm
▲ Elevation view © MAT Super Architecture Firm
Project Information
Exhibition Guidance Unit: Shenzhen Dapeng New Area Management Committee
Exhibition Organizer: Xiyong Resort (Shenzhen Workers’ Sanatorium)
Co-Organizers: Shenzhen Yuhe Investment Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Yuhe Xiyong Community Development Foundation
Curator: Han Jing, Handshake 302
Exhibitor: MAT Super Architecture Firm
Design and Construction Team: Tang Kangshuo, Zhang Miao, Liu Youpeng, Wu Mingyu, Tan Xiaodan
Main Materials: scaffold steel pipes, elastic bandages, floor paint
Completion Date: December 2019
Photography by Tang Kangshuo
Video by Tang Kangshuo and Zhang Miao
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