Linda Cheng meets young Sydney designer HY William Chan, whose installation at this year’s Vivid looked at issues surrounding urban development.
June 12th, 2012
For the 4th year running, the Vivid Sydney festival cast spectacular lighting projections on some of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks. With its many artistic installations and performances around Circular Quay, the festival literally illuminated on the city’s rich and diverse creativity.
This year, one project lit up with a different spectrum. HY William Chan’s Palette of Urban Green explored contemporary issues of urban development, building for a better urban environment whilst at the same time respecting the ecological system.
Chan, a student architect at HASSELL, is completing his Honours dissertation in architecture at the University of Sydney and is passionate about sustainability.
He’s participated in 2 travelling studios, working in the slums of South Africa and India, and has seen first-hand the effect urbanisation has had on the natural environment.
“The issue is no different in the developed world,” says Chan. “So for me, the key message was to address the issue of sustainable urbanisation in our cities, especially in Sydney.”
“A project such as this encourages a deeper understanding of the importance of design and its critical role in the evolution of our cities,” says Matthew Pullinger, President of the Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Chapter, who along with the Green Building Council of Australia is supporting this project.
Located in the small park opposite the new MCA Mordant Wing, the site specific project consisted of 125 timber pallets arranged into 5 towers, each pallet twisting at 6 degrees.
Illuminated with LED strip lights which turned on and off in response to movement, the installation came alive and encouraged visitors to engage with it.
The towers were on the one hand reminiscent of trees with dappled sunlight through their canopies, and on the other hand, a representation of city office towers illuminated at night from within.
This dichotomy delved into “the turbulent relationship between the natural and the built environments,” says Chan.
Photography courtesy of Isaac Leung
Vivid Sydney
vividsydney.com
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
The American Hardwood Export Council promotes the works of next-gen designers through Discovered Singapore exhibition happening from 16 to 22 May at Red Dot Design Museum Singapore.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Future-focused Sydney architect and “visionary entrepreneur” HY William Chan has been appointed to lead the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers community.
Recognised for his game-changing disruption of the architecture and design industry, HY William Chan has earned a well-deserved place on Forbes magazine’s coveted “30 Under 30” list for architectural leadership and advocacy in 2019.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
From a lacklustre venue to an ebullient hotspot, Johnny’s Green Room in Carlton has been transformed under the direction of Dion Hall, featuring warm tones and terracotta accents.
In a significant development for Southeast Asia’s design scene, XTRA has recently inaugurated a new showroom.