fading starburst made of 111 illuminated fragments lights up concrete building in malaysia

over time, its illumination will gradually dim, and after 122 days, the star will dissipate and live in hyperspace till it finds a new host.

Jun Ong edited by massimo mini December 27, 2021 3 min

jun ong builds star/KL with 111 illuminated fragments

seven years after the artist jun ong embedded a glowing star within an unfinished building in malaysia, now, at the tail end of a pandemic, he shapes a burst of light, consisting of 111 illuminated fragments. this phenomenon takes place in the heart of kuala lumpur, lighting up its new host (known as the air building), a composite of raw concrete and shards of metal situated on the boundaries between nature and city. the lighting installation is integrated into the four-storey building’s core, with some of its rays piercing its envelope.

all images by david yeow photography

a starburst with a life span of 122 days

star/KL is a temporary, site-specific installation designed by jun ong (see more here) in collaboration with the cultural economy development agency (CENDANA) as part of their art in the city 2021 programme. the new ‘star’ takes shape as a starburst assembled by a fusion of linear illuminated elements. as a result, intense trajectories of light are formed, penetrating the building and expanding towards the vivid city.

as the artist mentioned, throughout its time here, the ‘star’ will learn, adapt and provide us with new facets of thinking as terrestrial, cosmic, and human beings. over time, its illumination will gradually dim, and after 122 days, the star will dissipate and live in hyperspace till it finds a new host.

identified as siblings, both installations were conceived to invite passers-by to perceive light and space, imbuing cosmic magic into daily life in the city. in its kuala lumpur iteration, the pulsing illumination of ‘star’ is accompanied by an otherworldly soundscape designed by reza othman of malaysian experimental electronic and jazz project RAO.

star-kl-four-storey-starburst-111-illuminated-fragments-jun-ong-designboom-18002 — view across multiple levels of the host building

fading starburst made of 111 illuminated fragments lights up concrete building in malaysia - 1 — artist jun ong on the core level

star-kl-four-storey-starburst-111-illuminated-fragments-jun-ong-designboom-1800

fading starburst made of 111 illuminated fragments lights up concrete building in malaysia - 2 — view of level one out of four levels

fading starburst made of 111 illuminated fragments lights up concrete building in malaysia - 3 — view of the rooftop garden

one out of the 111 light fragments steel truncated icosahedron core artist impression jun ong's first star in butterworth, penang in 2015

project info:

name: star/KL
designer: jun ong

artist team: ronald lim eu wing, angie lee xiao fong, sunil raj, viktor zeidler

location: kuala lumpur, malaysia

client: CENDANA
venue partner: the godown KL
display duration: 26 november 2021 – 26 march 2022
photography credit: david yeow photography | davidyeowphotography
video credit: syazwan a., iman saleha & khairul johari

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.