Take a trip in the light fantastic

A new light interactive installations exhibition that opened on Dec 7 at Beijing Apm Shopping Mall in Wangfujing, invited busy shoppers to take time out and climb inside and explore the interactive exhibit.

Titled Cocoon, the installation is part of the mall's newly-launched Touch My Heart art exhibition, designed by international interactive lighting and design studio Amigo& Amigo.

Inspired by the Apm atrium as a place where people come together and socialize, the studio set out to create an engaging space that celebrates the local community and offers passersby the chance to contribute a little part of themselves to the interactive art experience.

As visitors approach Cocoon, they find themselves surrounded by an intricately woven 9-meter-tall network of lights and strings. They are soon invited to climb inside the enveloping installation and use their heartbeats to control a dazzling show of color and light.

"Cocoon has already attracted a lot of attention. The creative inspiration behind the installation derives from the oriental saying 'Breaking a cocoon to become a butterfly', which conveys the notion that transformation is a difficult process. The motivation to complete any metamorphosis must come from the heart. Seeing and feeling this heartbeat is what controls this transformation," says Simone Chua, director of Amigo& Amigo.

According to the Metropolitan People's Stress Survey recently released by China Business News Weekly and Omron Health, more than 40 percent of office workers interviewed suffer from the increasing pressures brought about by urban life. The report shows that psychological and mental interaction can both help to alleviate anxiety.

"The unique thing about Cocoon is that when a person enters, the sensing device will immediately respond to the frequency of their heartbeat. By changing the frequency of the flashing lights and rhythm of the music, visitors can visualize their heartbeats," says Chua.

"For public art, people need to be within reach of the work, unlike in fine art exhibitions, where people are generally more removed".

Despite having never lived in Beijing, Chua has spent a long time in China, mainly in Shanghai. On her third visit to Beijing, the designer says she has a close connection to China since her father is Chinese, and her mother Australian.

Inspired by traditional rickshaws, Chua and her team have also set up another interactive installation in the mall's basement. Titled Rickshaw, the installation invites people to jump on it and take a ride through another engaging light show－this time on two wheels.

Taking inspiration from the statue of a rickshaw in the middle of Wangfujing's pedestrian shopping street, the art installation is a modern interpretation of the popular tourist spot. When a visitor begins to pedal, they are taken through series of images depicting the district's rich history.

"In Australia, many of our environments and colors are predictable, but in China it's a more exciting world, which contains many more unexpected colors－especially around Wangfujing. It's a district that contains many traditional Chinese buildings. I am deeply impressed by traditional Chinese architecture, especially the design of the eaves."

The design team has also collaborated with local Chinese artists. Since their focus is more on technology and innovation, for them it not so much about creating traditional artworks, but setting out to "create new artworks from a modern, Western perspective", Chua adds.

Chua says that designs for public art installations must take many factors into account, especially the number of users. For example, some of their works have attracted as many as 80,000 people, and outdoor works are also exposed to the elements－so issues such as maintenance and the duration of the work must also be taken into consideration.

For commercial projects, many artists feel limited by the confines of the retail premises. But for this project, Chua says there was sufficient room and trust on offer to explore the space fully.

"For example, in the Cocoon project, we actually designed two levels to allow people to climb into the artworks and interact with them－thanks to the trust and creative freedom the management offered us. But we do realize that the creation of an entire artwork can sometimes be a complicated process, and in these instances we look to gain the support from the commercial organizations－but it's not always possible to do so. As far as I am concerned, once our artists have set down their concepts for their work, we try to stick to these ideas as far as possible, and use our creativity to ensure they come to fruition. And even if there are practical considerations in terms of space, materials or design to take on board on occasion, it's our job to find and make compromises to overcome them," she says.

Besides the two art installations, Chua and her team also created Arches, a gate-like installation that reflects the changing fortunes of Wangfujing. Together with two more creative installations, Swing and Watercules, both tailor-made for NTP New Town Plaza in the suburban district of Fangzhuang, they aim to offer a new wave of interactive light installations to Beijing shoppers. Running until Feb 14, Chua hopes these exhibitions will continue to light up the capital into Chinese New Year and beyond.