Technogym
Technogym
Technogym

CLAD people

Ai Weiwei Artist

PROJECT: Er Xi, Air de Jeux, Paris, France


In a surprise move, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei exhibited his first original works in France at a luxury department store in Paris.

The show, named Er Xi, Air de Jeux (Child’s Play), featured more than 100 bamboo and silk kites and 3D structures depicting mythological creatures from Chinese legend.

The exhibition at Le Bon Marché – which ran to 20 February 2016 and promoted a store sale – is inspired by the artist’s childhood, his previous works and the Chinese book of myths Shan Hai Jing (‘The Classic of Mountains and Seas’), which is over 2,000 years old.

Kite makers from China’s Shandong Province worked with Weiwei to create the incredible kites, which were many shapes and sizes and represented birds, fish, dragons and a selection of other fantastical creatures.

The exhibition was divided into three areas of the store: the 10 exterior storefront display cases, the atriums and the gallery, which was patrolled by a large dragon made of woven bamboo.

“The city of Paris is like a myth to me; it is another world,” said Weiwei. “Mythology symbolises a parallel world to ours which is our imagination, our dreams, our fears, our history. It is like a mirror that reflects our society and our personality and helps us understand our world. “

“I hope the show can surprise and amaze people and make their lives a little more joyous and colourful.”

Asked to describe the challenges of the project, Weiwei said: “This is the kind of place I love having my work presented; a place directly linked to the city and its citizens. It is not really a place of art, but it is associated with trends and lifestyle.

“Yes, it represented a real challenge for me to create works specifically for a department store, but that made it all the more interesting.”

Last year Weiwei hosted another art and sculpture exhibition featuring mythological kites at the former prison Alcatraz in the US.

The artist is most famous for his politically-influenced works, which led to him being placed under house arrest in China and unable to travel for four years.

Gallery
Click on an image to open the image gallery
company profile
Company profile: Painting With Light
Painting with Light is a team of professional lighting and multimedia experts who design and produce visual experiences that dazzle & shine.
Try cladmag for free!
Sign up with CLAD to receive our regular ezine, instant news alerts, free digital subscriptions to CLADweek, CLADmag and CLADbook and to request a free sample of the next issue of CLADmag.
sign up
Prince-Ramus with a model of the Perelman, showing the exterior staircase which doubles as a seating area
Prince-Ramus was the founding partner of OMA New York, before rebranding the firm as REX in 2006
"If there are many possible solutions, we choose the one that is most beautiful"

Rem Koolhaas’ protege on the challenges of designing a truly flexible arts centre for Ground Zero

Elina Grigoriou
Elina Grigoriou
"Temperature, noise level and colour affect our stress levels. As designers we should be asking ourselves, how do these things match up?"

The London-based interior designer and wellness expert hopes her new book will help readers understand how to design with wellbeing in mind

Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
To advertise in our catalogue gallery: call +44(0)1462 431385
features
The spa has silent spaces for rest and contemplation.
The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science
"The idea of selling a better lifestyle has been rooted in everything that has happened in Miami over the past 80 to 100 years. Chad Oppenheim"

It’s always been a city with a big personality and the new projects taking shape in Miami are as bold and ambitious as ever. Alice Davis investigates

Centro Botín is the first building Italian architect Renzo Piano has designed in Spain
"It will become one of the centres of reference for art in Europe - Inigo Sáenz de Miera, Botín Foundation"

Renzo Piano’s Santander art museum

features
Christoph Ingenhoven has championed sustainable architecture for more than 30 years. He is Super Jury member at this year’s World Architecture Festival
"At Lanserhof, you spend your money and it’s difficult and exhausting, but you feel as though you’re doing something very good for yourself and maybe also for others "

How Ingenhoven’s experience as a guest informed the design of the Lanserhof medical spas

The museum will appear to rise from the ground, with the green roof acting as an extension to the park
"You can see the torch displayed in the window, like a beautiful piece of jewellery"

The architects behind the new Statue of Liberty Museum

cladkit product news
Jaffe Holden helps bring Academy Museum of Motion Pictures alive
Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics for the Academy Museum
Magali Robathan
Acoustical consulting firm Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics and audio/video design services for the recently opened Academy Museum of Motion ...
Mather & Co and ITV unite to create Coronation Street Experience
Mather & Co has transformed the visitor centre into the ultimate haven for ardent Coronation Street viewers
Magali Robathan
Experience designers, Mather & Co, have orchestrated a remarkable collaboration with ITV to unveil the new Coronation Street Experience, a ...
Alberto Apostoli and Newform collaborate to launch the A.Zeta showerhead
The showerhead offers two modes; rainfall or waterfall
Megan Whitby
Italian architect Alberto Apostoli has renewed his partnership with Newform – an Italian wellness company – and designed A.Zeta. A.Zeta ...
cladkit product news
Eco Resort Network conference to convene in Mauritius this May
The event will be hosted in the Mauritius in 2024
Megan Whitby
Hospitality industry event Eco Resort Network is set to take place at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel, Turtle Bay, Mauritius, from ...
Koto Design introduces wood-fired hot tub
Koto is known for crafting modular, energy-neutral cabins and homes
Katie Barnes
A striking wood-fired hot tub has been unveiled by Koto, an architecture and design studio which has a passion for ...
Alberto Apostoli designs tech-forward Wellness Therapy furniture collection for Varaschin
The furniture collection draws on absolute geometries, pure lines, neutral colours and strong references to nature
Megan Whitby
Furniture manufacturer Varaschin has unveiled the new Wellness Therapy range, designed by Italian spa and wellness architect and designer Alberto ...
cladkit product news
Eden project uses drones to spell out climate change warning
Magali Robathan
Almost 300 drones were used to signal an environmental message above the Eden Project’s biomes, during the UN Climate Change ...
Siminetti unveils iridescent decorative panelling range inspired by plants
The Clematis design
Megan Whitby
The Botanicals is Siminetti’s newest Mother of Pearl decorative panelling collection, inspired by the distinctive patterns found in botany and ...
Codelocks develops new glass door smart lock
The new lock model allows facilities and building managers to create and manage access via an app or online portal
Megan Whitby
Codelocks has launched its first glass door smart lock to bring intelligent access control to modern spa, leisure, fitness and ...
Technogym
Technogym