Kaleidome
Shatin Park, Hong Kong
2015
Kaleidoscoping a neighborhood park
Located in a local park in Shatin, Hong Kong, Kaleidome is an art installation that aims to transform the ways people see and interact with public space. Composed of 242 polyhedral cells of the polished-stainless-steel mirror, Kaleidome frames the environment and multiplies the vista. Like a kaleidoscope, the reflective cells shuffle the images of the neighborhood and tint the concrete plaza into a flourished place, offering constantly changing moments that captivate the souls of urban strollers.
The 242 polyhedral cells were made of polished-stainless-steel mirrors in 22 shapes. Each mirror was laser-cut and folded according to our parametric computer model. The cell was tinted in various shades of red and blue with a very thin layer of paint that preserves the reflectiveness of the original mirror finish.
Mathematically speaking, Kaleidome is a ‘Voronoi tessellation’— a partitioning of the semi-spherical surface into regions based on the distance to points in a specific subset of the plane. All points on the lines are equidistant to the nearest two or more source points.
Looking at the oculus, one will discover a network of veins composed of ultra-thin, almost invisible polygon profiles, visually juxtaposing the tree branches in the sky. The recomposed color-tinted reflections activate the empty plaza into a flourished garden.
Kaleidome was later reproduced at the invitation of the curators at the Museum of Design Society to exhibit in the inaugural exhibition—”Minding the Digital”—and subsequently collected by the Museum as a permanent collection.
DFA Design for Asia Award
Bronze Award
Art installation
2015
Shatin Park, Hong Kong
Museum of Design Society, Shenzhen
Hong Kong Jockey Club
Museum of Design Society, Shenzhen
Otto Ng, Chun Hang Yip, Hugo Ma, CK Wong, Ricci Wong, Gary Chan, Kenneth Cheung, Catherine Cheng, Carolyn Tam, Honley Cheuk, Zion Chan, Happy Yam, CK Wong, Kelvin Lam