Suspended mountains and waters, a poetic realm of light and shadow
A spatial dialogue between contemporary installation art and Eastern aesthetics
In the renovation of Hangzhou Junlan Resort Hotel's lobby, we created the 12-meter-long, 3.2-meter-high dynamic crystal installation "Mountains Embracing the Moon" under the design concept of "making architecture grow ink-wash". This suspended art piece deconstructs and reconstructs the scattered perspective aesthetics from the Song Dynasty's "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", forming fluid landscape imagery through 2,180 uniquely shaped crystal modules.
Each 50-80mm crystal core employs optical-grade polycarbonate, precision-milled with five-axis CNC machining to create 32 types of three-dimensional facets. Specially developed gradient coating technology achieves 0.1mm-level precise transitions of blue-green landscape hues. The anti-glare nano-coating surface achieves a refractive index of 1.62, generating seven layers of light halos under 2200K warm lighting.
The original "Dot-Matrix Load-Bearing System" transcends traditional curtain wall craftsmanship: 0.3mm micro-hole positioning technology combined with 316L medical-grade stainless steel wires constructs a three-dimensional cable-net structure. Each connection node features damping shock absorbers, enabling the entire installation to withstand 8-magnitude vibrations while maintaining 380kg/m² load capacity, yet visually appearing as light as drifting clouds.
Embedded with motion sensors, hidden LED matrices activate landscape light performances when guests approach within 3 meters. Through DMX512 control, crystal modules present four chromatic scenarios (dawn/dusk/clear/rain), while frosted glass backdrops project contemporary calligrapher Wang Dongling's wild cursive scripts, creating dual landscape dialogues between physical and virtual elements.
All crystal units adopt modular prefabrication, with 78% materials from recycled resin. The patented buckle system enables single-module replacement within 15 minutes, and pre-tensioned structural design reserves 30% load redundancy for maintenance. BIM technology facilitated 7 collision detections during construction, achieving millimeter-level installation precision.
Inspired by Huang Gongwang's "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" concept of "grand view from afar, intricate details up close", the design embeds micro-carved scenes of Hangzhou's Ten Views on crystal surfaces. These coalesce into layered mountain ranges when viewed from distance, echoing traditional Chinese garden philosophy of "scenery transformation with every step".
This project won the 2021 A'DESIGN AWARD Platinum Prize in Spatial Installation category, establishing innovative paradigms for new decorative materials and intelligent control systems in cultural spaces. Through modern technological reinterpretation of traditional aesthetics, MATTEO has transformed the 200m² hotel lobby into an immersive landscape art gallery.
