Ma Yansong MAD was invited to participate in the 2022 Shenzhen-Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture and created an art installation about light and space called "Universe". The installation also won the "Public Award" and "Academic Committee Award" of this year's Shenzhen Biennale.

In the Chinese cosmology thousands of years ago, the universe was heaven and earth. Heaven and earth came from "nothingness", which was a silence and emptiness. This "nothingness" was a constant but ever-moving constant, near and far, big and small, outward and inward.

The universe is closely related to human cognition. Everyone's inner view is the universe. The universe is in the sand and dust, and the way follows nature. This is a very oriental philosophy.

"Our understanding of the objective universe is very limited, and it comes more from our inner cognition and imagination. The universe expresses a sense of unknown on a super-large scale. In the real world, it is particularly important and wonderful to maintain curiosity and imagination about the uncertain and difficult-to-grasp unknown."

——Ma Yansong

MAD hopes to use the cavity height of the original silo of Kingway Brewery to create a "void" negative space in the city, allowing people to escape reality for a moment, enter imagination, and perceive themselves.

The spherical lamp on the top lights up, and the light spreads in the space. Under the reflection of the red mirror panels hanging around, it creates an infinitely extended and borderless space atmosphere. In the background music that seems to come from ancient times, a kind of introspection is formed in the colorfulness, and the connection between oneself and the world is discovered.

The lights change unpredictably as they move, flickering like stars and nebulae, opening up endless imagination.

The "Universe" installation was exhibited at the Shenzhen Yuehai City Golden Brewery (formerly Kingway Brewery) during the 2022 Shenzhen-Hong Kong Biennale.

Universe
Shenzhen, China
2022.12 - 2023.03

Host partners: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Hayano Yosuke
Design team: Yang Xuebing, Yoshio Fukumori, Niu Shaobo, Zhou Chenhao, Ye Lanshan
Curtain wall consultant and construction: Shenzhen Dadi Curtain Wall Technology Co., Ltd.
Lighting consultant: Ningzhijing Lighting Design
Music: Ma Mobing
Photography: UABB Hu Kangyu