taiwanese pavilion produces a symphony of metronomes at london design biennale

‘swingphony’ by taipei-based design studio bito, is a symphony of metronomes produced for the taiwanese pavilion at the 2021 london design biennale. the project responds to the changing dynamics between individuals and society during the pandemic. founder and creative director of bito, liu keng-ming, designed the exhibit regarding the biennale theme ‘resonance’ in an attempt to help people overcome anxieties caused by the current situation.

all images © bito

bito‘s team visited more than fifty buddhist and taoist temples in preparation for designing the exhibit. they took inspiration from all the colors, sights, and sounds discovered during the six-month-long trip, which took them to twenty different towns and villages across taiwan. incense smoke, lanterns, and the rhythm of chanting became their main inspirations.

the resulting exhibition is a combination of experience design by bito, spatial design by bird hsu and music by composer chen-ye han. in addition, ta chung design was commissioned to create the metronome for the exhibit, drawing on the form of praying hands and wielding a stick of incense instead of the pendulum. all four elements were then synchronized to produce a symphony, which resonates with a sense of calm and serenity.

project info:

name: swingphony

experience design: bito 

metronome design: ta-chung liu

spatial design: bird hsu

visual design: chin-ho kao, chen-lin hsieh

lighting design: whyso

music design: chen-ye han

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.