Artist Zoe Siu wants her Pacific Place display to remind people of the power and warmth of homemade creativity
Lunar New Year is a time of celebration in Hong Kong and each year the city’s malls install stunning decorations. This year Pacific Place and Star Street precinct have unveiled The Garden of Woven Delights, a series of eye-catching giant lanterns created using Chinese rope art.
According to Hong Kong knot designer Zoe Siu, the huge, floor-to-ceiling lanterns displayed in the mall’s Garden Court were inspired by the Tang Dynasty palace lanterns, with the structure of the displays combining the various shapes and layers of small lanterns. Such is the scale of the project, it took Siu and her team a massive 300 hours to complete the weavings.
The traditional art form of knotting and lantern-making is recognised as an intangible cultural heritage of China and Hong Kong and Siu says one of her aims was to highlight the value of this precious craft.
Chinese knotting is a Chinese folk art. The knot is made from a single length of cord woven into different shapes, each shape having a symbolic meaning. It’s believed that before writing was commonplace, Chinese knotting was used for exchanging messages. Chinese knots are also said to act as good luck charms to ward off evil spirits.
Meanwhile, the light-providing lanterns of the design symbolises hope and commitment to new beginnings in the coming year.
Siu started working on the project around seven months ago.
“We began with a concept, slowly sketching it out before turning it into a digital design,” she explains. “Our initial discussions centred around how to showcase the beauty of knotting while considering both distant and close-up viewers. This led us to the idea of using lanterns as a traditional representation of Chinese culture. Ultimately, we focused on which knots would be most suitable for this lantern and best suited for the celebrations at Pacific Place.”
The mall is an enormous space to fill and the entire lantern stands at more than nine metres tall.
“Once we had constructed its overall shape, we had to meticulously deconstruct it, carefully arranging the density of each knot and the placement of negative space,” she says. “Our aim was to ensure that it would look its best from multiple angles.”
The entire installation incorporates eight different types of both Chinese and Western knots, including the Knot of Infinity, representing fortune and success, and the Knot of Prosperity, symbolising abundant wealth and endless opportunities. We also integrated survival knots and macramé, using a substantial amount of red rope. This not only gave the lantern a traditional Chinese New Year effect but also imbued it with a distinctly modern touch.
The knotting process involved long hours of repetitive work, both mentally and physically exhausting. Siu says listening to music became an essential part of the working day.
“Regular breaks every two to three hours were crucial,” she adds. “Having snacks, going to the loo and chatting helped us immensely.”
The team worked on each piece separately, so when each layer came together in the Garden Court at Pacific Place, it was a deeply satisfying moment. “And of course coupled with the on-site space and lighting, it felt even more spectacular,” she says.
So what does she hope visitors take away from the experience?
“As machines and AI become increasingly prevalent in our lives, I want to remind everyone that the creativity of handmade work is powerful and warm,” says Siu.
Ultimately, she’d encourage visitors to come closer to the piece to appreciate the different weaving patterns of each layer of knots.
As well, presumably as the hours and dedication that has gone into this stunning installation.
The Garden of Woven Delights, Garden Court, Pacific Place, 10am to 10pm, until February 16.
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