MACHAS

Festive Celebrations: Five Interactive Installations for Beijing APM and NTP Malls

Following the success of last year’s collaboration with Machas Artist Kaz Shirane, we were engaged to consult Brand Head and Beijing APM on their 2019 festive season celebrations for the second year in a row.

The popular Beijing shopping mall was looking to collaborate with an internationally-renowned artist working with light and interactivity to create a series of installations to engage visitors both inside and outside the mall.

Activating our global network of artists, we put forward Amigo & Amigo, a Sydney-based studio whose pieces have been displayed in public art festivals all over the world. The studio, specialised in spatial works and light interaction, made a name for themselves for capturing the audience imagination and bringing people together in public spaces.

Amigo & Amigo and Machas developed five large-scale, site-specific installations shown across two locations, both part of Sun Hung Kai Properties. Beijing APM Mall, located on the well-known Wangfujing Street, hosted the three main installations, Cocoon, Arches and Rickshaw, whilst New Town Plaza Mall displayed Watercules and Swing installations.

Cocoon | 茧

The exhibition’s main attraction is Cocoon, a large-scale immersive installation, located in APM’s atrium. With two large floating nets, over 2000 interactive lights and an impressive height of more than 8 meters, Cocoon is a unique sensory space that invites people to climb inside and explore it.

Cocoon’s interactive sensors activate lights according to the visitors’ heartbeats, and upon entering the installation, they are immersed into a mesmerising light and sound show, that they can enjoy by sitting, lying down, or exploring the installations’ top level, accessible through a playful central tunnel. Cocoon was designed to allow visitors to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, and take a moment to relax and connect.

Arches | 穿梭之门

Arches was inspired by the traditional houses of Wangfujing Street, a celebration of the history and architecture of the area that Amigo & Amigo reinterpreted into a modern concept.

Located just outside the main entrance of the mall, Arches invites people to move throughout and play. As passers-by interact with the central orb, their electrical signal is captured and sends light patterns across the artwork.

Rickshaw | 黄包车

Inspired by the traditional Chinese two-wheeled carts, Rickshaw is an interactive artwork inviting people to jump in and ride. When pedalling, light animations are triggered and surround the visitors with a colourful, changing light show.

Watercules | 水分子

Located at New Town Plaza, Watercules is an installation echoing Affinity - one of Amigo & Amigo’s most famous artworks. Created as a bespoke piece for NTP, Watercules is a light-emanating, molecule-shaped structure. When visitors touch its surface, the installation reacts by changing colour and light animations.

Swing | 秋千

Swing is nestled within New Town Plaza mall. As people stop by and sit down on the seat, the entire installation animates with a colourful light show, recreating the joyful movement of the swing whilst providing the rest and happiness of a playground in a shopping environment.

Simone Chua, Amigo & Amigo’s founder and creative director, explains: “We have developed multiple installations, each inviting the public to be surrounded by a unique interactive light and sound show. Each artwork has its own story, drawing upon the history of the area whilst celebrating progress and change.”

The exhibition launched on the 7th December 2019 with a public inauguration that both Machas and the Artist attended, and will be open to the public until February 2020.