Reflected Light Cloud
With Jim Peraino, Sunkyu Koh​
As designers from outside China, we approached Guangzhou with humility and openness, seeking to balance an objective perspective with a genuine effort to understand the city’s cultural and urban context. This project reflects our respect for Guangzhou’s long history and our commitment to creating a design that resonates with both its heritage and its contemporary life.
A Series of Mirrors High Above
Connecting the Island with Mainland, Like “Clouds”
This project reimagines Haixinsha Island in Guangzhou as a symbolic connector between the city and the river. By suspending mirrored “clouds” above the site, the design reframes the island’s role from leftover land to a threshold where past and future, land and water, converge. The installation highlights the city’s unique identity while resisting the homogenizing effects of globalization.
Renovation Plan to Take Advantage of the Location Where Two Different Axies meet
The project site was a unique location where two distinct axes converged: the historic waterway and the forward-looking urban corridor. The central question we wanted to address was how to meaningfully connect the city’s rich history with its evolving present.
Mirrors and Lights:
Alone Yet Reflected Together
Each mirror is precisely controlled by a system of motors: two adjust the angle, one guides vertical movement, and another directs horizontal movement, while counterweights provide balance and stability. Rays of light projected from the ground reflect off the mirrors, their paths determined by the mirrors’ orientation. When these beams of light meet the city’s natural fog—present almost year-round in Guangzhou—they create a shifting play of illumination in the sky. The interplay of mirrors, light, and atmosphere produces a spectacle unique to this place, amplifying Guangzhou’s identity through a fusion of technology, environment, and design.
Mirrors
Light & Mirrors
The Stadium
Mirrors
Each mirror’s angle is precisely adjusted by two motors that wind wire around a spool, while additional motors control vertical and horizontal movement. Counterweights stabilize the structure, ensuring balanced motion and a full range of controlled rotation.
Light & Mirrors
Rays of light rise from the ground and reflect off precisely angled mirrors, projecting dynamic beams across the site. When these intersect with Guangzhou’s characteristic fog—visible through most of the year except winter—they create a fleeting atmospheric display. This interaction between light, fog, and reflection becomes a living expression of the city’s identity.
The Stadium
Our design strategy prioritizes preserving the Asian Games stadium as an essential part of Guangzhou’s urban fabric. Recognizing the city as a layered composition of history and modernity, we treat the stadium not as a relic but as a structural foundation for renewal—integrating it into the installation as a living element of continuity and transformation.
Pedestrian Configurarion: Day & Night
Each mirror is equipped with sensors that track pedestrian movement, adjusting orientation to maintain views of both the river and the city. The slow, almost imperceptible rotations create a subtle yet deliberate curation of perspective.
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​At night, the impact of the rotating mirrors diminishes. To address this while preserving the connection between mirrors and pedestrians, we introduced a night configuration using light. In this mode, mirrors and light interact to track pedestrian movement, creating responsive pathways that adapt to visitors’ movements.
