interdisciplinary scholar and artist hongtao zhou uses inflatable installations to penetrate historical buildings during tongji design week in an effort to encourage people to break boundaries in art and design. the installation explores the unique spatial qualities of shanghai’s old bus repair station (now D&I’s innovation field) and tongji museum’s historical building by empowering inflatable structures to shoot out, break through, capture, squeeze, and contain entries and spaces. 

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 1
external side view of the installation

 

 

zhou‘s inflatable installation animates the inconspicuous space through manipulation, emphasizing changes and creating movements to provoke thought and criticism on the evolving urban environment and the endless desire of space in big cities. the installation respects the historical buildings by doing no physical change, but instead, adds visible air flows to twist, connect, and blend space from both the interior and exterior.

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 2
the installation respects the historical buildings by doing no physical change, but instead, adds visible air flows to twist, connect, and blend space from both the interior and exterior

 

 

the ever changing installation gives the audience an opportunity to witness the creation, expansion and penetration of space. by observing the dialogue between architecture, materials, weather, and other visitors, users can experience the space transition, material behavior, and the organic forms of our living spaces by participating in them.

 

2017年10月17日
video © hongtao zhou

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 3
rear roof

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 4
elevator well

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 5
lobby

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 6
main gallery

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 7
students interaction

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 8
the building’s entrance

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 9
group walk within the inflatable installation

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 10
inside the inflated space

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 11
‘meeting cancelled’

hongtao zhou's inflatable installations breaks boundaries at tongji design week - 12
student lounge

 

 

project info:

 

participants: zhihao li, lujia peng, man xu, ling lin, xiaoxiao duan, xi ling, zehui ye, chufei liao, meng fang, hongqiang ge, guoyi zhou, ying zhang, haiyan huo, shuiqun zhang, minxuan wang and marcos cruz ortiz

 

 

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.

 

edited by: lynn chaya | designboom