IM design's paper space installation evokes urban exiles & folded dimensions

paper space by IM design explores spiritual deficiency

Paper Space by Chinese practice IM Design is one of the installation works exhibited at the Origin Earth Art Festival 2024 for X’ian Contemporary Design Week. The work is inspired by the designer’s life experiences in recent years, moving between Taipei, Shanghai, and Beijing. This journey has brought attention to the concept of ‘hometown’ not as a rural area but as a common spiritual deficiency in modern-day humans. In the architect’s mind, the world between the overly dispersed ‘hometown’ and the excessively dense ‘city’ is gradually heading towards total collapse. As an analogy, he directs us to the end of the novel The Three-Body Problem; after the Singer civilization releases a two-dimensional foil at the edge of the solar system, the latter as a whole collapses into a two-dimensional giant painting. Thus, the work starts from this ending, beginning with a single piece of paper.

images © Kevin, Zhou Xiaofu, Shine Fu

sculpting cuts and folds through limited space

The design uses ‘paper’ as a medium, which transforms from a two-dimensional plane into a three-dimensional space through cutting and folding. The abstract visual effect starkly contrasts with the urban scene where it is situated, intending to provide the audience with an experience beyond the ordinary. The IM Design team created spatial dimensions inspired by Le Corbusier’s late-life dwelling, Le Cabanon, measuring 3.66m x 3.66m x 2.26m, a critical case study in discussing the limits of habitable space. The implications of the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ are repeatedly explored during the folding process. The space created by inward folding is a microcosm of an urban dwelling—doors, windows, tables, chairs, and beds constitute perhaps the most confined living spaces in the city.

Paper Space installation by IM Design is exhibited in Xi’an, China

When folded outward, the secluded area undergoes fission and replication, becoming a collective portrait of countless urban dwellings. The compressed ‘interior’ that emerges now turns into a small patch of ever-increasing entropy, a fragment of homeland. IM Design mainly achieves distinction between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ through scenographic construction. The outward-folding ceiling and floor enclose the ‘interior’ space, while the externally placed tables, chairs, and beds define the scale of the ‘interior.’ As for doors and windows, the relationship is emphasized through common interior elements like window sills and coat hooks.

the project explores spiritual deficiency in modern-day humans

paper-thin structure with a calming interior landscape

The interior landscape of Paper Space is filled with reeds and pine bark, contrasting with the surreal sensory experience outside. It authentically presents a delicate natural scene where one can experience an immersive environment isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city, with soft footsteps, sunlight, a gentle breeze, and birdsong. Cutting and folding create multiple holes of varying sizes, heights, and forms, offering different perspectives; from bottom to top, the earth, reeds, trees, and sky form a series of dreamlike framed views.

The construction combines factory prefabrication with on-site assembly, using 2mm thick steel plates to build the main structure. The thin steel plates blur the installation’s structural elements, hiding all joints and construction methods to achieve a paper-thin effect. Although the structure appears thin, structural calculations show that the externally placed bed and chairs can bear a maximum weight of 150kg, allowing for interactive experiences with the audience.

using ‘paper’ as a medium, transforming it from a 2D to a 3D space through cutting and folding

‘From 1990 to 2023, the urbanization rate in China rose from 26.23% to 66.16%. Many young people left their hometowns and entered cities, becoming ‘exiles.’ The public spaces we idealize are meant to help these ‘exiles’ find a sense of belonging. In this context, public spaces should shed their identity as ‘places of power’ and return to the daily lives of the general public. They should be inspired by collective behaviors, binding together fragmented elements like nature, communities, and streets. In this way, the public life and collective memory within them provide a means to prevent internal exile, ultimately transforming the ‘city’ into a ‘home,” concludes IM Design.

the installation combines factory prefabrication with on-site assembly, using 2mm thick steel plates