jun ong embeds five-storey glowing star within unfinished building in malaysia

jun ong embeds five-storey glowing star in unfinished building site in malaysia
photo by ronaldas buozis

within the malaysian town of butterworth, kuala lumpur-based architect and artist jun ong has embedded a five-storey lighting installation within the core of an unfinished concrete building. spanning the full height of the architectural skeleton, ‘star’ pierces through several floors of the disused structure to form a 12-sided, three-dimensional object.

the abstracted configuration is informed by the idea of a ‘glitch’ —  first used in a space program to describe a voltage spike in an electric current — which is manifested both symbolically and physically. in terms of materiality, the dodecahedron appears almost as an error, curiously lodged within the concrete superstructure; metaphorically, the glitch is an embodiment of the sterile conditions of butterworth, a once thriving industrial port and significant terminal between the mainland and island.

curated by eeyan chuah and gabija grusaite of hin bus depot art center and presented as part of the urban xchange festival, ‘star’ comprises five hundred meters of steel cables and LED strips. each of the cords are tethered to ground, slabs, cantilever beams and adjacent buildings, forming the overall shape. as visitors get closer to the site, the installation separates itself into several floors, each becoming its own spatial experience within the level. the recognizable quality is broken down into glowing geometries and lines, each fragment maintaining its own electrical and structural characteristics.

the lighting installation is embedded within the core of an unfinished concrete build
photo by allisamazing

‘star’ pierces through several floors of the disused construction 
photo by ronaldas buozis

the glowing object pierces the structure to form a 12-sided, three-dimensional framework
photo by jun ong

he abstracted configuration is informed by the idea of a ‘glitch’ in the environment 
photo by allisamazing 

the dodecahedron appears almost as an error, curiously lodged within the concrete superstructure
photo by ronaldas buozis

‘star’ comprises five hundred meters of steel cables and LED strips
photo by jun ong

each of the cords are tethered to ground, slabs, cantilever beams and adjacent buildings
photo by jun ong

the installation separates itself into several floors, each becoming its own spatial experience
photo by jun ong

the recognizable quality is broken down into glowing geometries and lines
photo by jun ong

each fragment maintains its own electrical and structural characteristics
photo by jun ong

the bottommost level of the star shows two pointed legs emerging through the building 
photo by jun ong

by night, the star lights up the streets of butterworth 
photo by allisamazing

the spatial installation is a speculation for the future of the town
photo by ronaldas buozis