Client

Boloni Home Decor/Thinking Hands Culture

Location

Beijing, China

Type

Artist Residence

Description

Selected as one among fourteen competition proposals to be executed for the Greater Beijing Arts District, Light Mass is a prototypical artist live-work unit. In development are three different multi-unit aggregations which evolve into larger museum –like formations – producing a variety of urban-gallery atmospheres. In each unit the Artist’s studio, an opaque heavy mass is suspended in a transparent glass plinth (containing gallery and living programs) over the street. In effect, this places the Artists on “display” behind the studio’s walls. Inside the Artists studio is cocoon-like, softly unfurling at its corners and roof, becoming more delicate and full of light. Each unit makes use of its compact footprint by organizing the space vertically. Stairs act as a binding element moving one continuously between two different environments – blurring their boundaries and distinctions into a full ensemble of experiences.