An abandoned market in Taiping Xu, in China’s Guangdong province, has been transformed into a colourful lighthouse. On show until summer 2024, the installation by
The project turns the building into a beacon for the remaining community — concrete houses intersperse with old brick buildings on the deserted streets, and some elders have steadfastly held onto their homes — as well as what one assumes will be many tourists passing through just to see it. On its sides, the three-storey building is wrapped in bands of reflective film: “a new material that blurrily mirrors the surrounding old streets through the building’s façade and inner space, respectively,” MAD explains.
At the top of the building the firm has installed a towering multimedia light device “enveloped in colourfully delicate pieces of cloth, fluttering in the wind romantically.” The gauzy fabric cascades down the sides as well and gives the installation a Christo-like effect, re-casting the building as an objet d’art. Called Timeless Beacon, MAD’s brilliant artwork can be seen from various vantage points in the village.
That the lighthouse stands out so prominently — and with such a bold expression — puts it in a conversation with other MAD projects that give voice to remnants of traditional Chinese life struggling to survive the inexorable path towards the homogenization of villages and/or their negligence in favour of moving their inhabitants to big urban centres. Among these is the
What’s remarkable about these projects — apart from their display of respect for the past through a vivid reimagining of its place in the present and future — is that they are the work of a firm that is also shaping the future of China through its many bold master plans. Yansong’s work shows that it’s possible to protect heritage while also forging boldly ahead.
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