bamboo-weaved cloud installation floats above three traditional chinese gardens

Shu Yin + Shaw Xu craft Atopos – An Untied Cloud

Designers Shu Yin and Shaw Xu present Atopos – An Untied Cloud, a bamboo-weaved installation exploring the interplay between classical Chinese gardens and contemporary perception. Commissioned for the ‘Shanghai Gardens’ exhibition curated by Dr. Ding Feng, the project toured three traditional Jiangnan gardens, offering viewers a chance to reexamine the aesthetic systems that define these spaces. Inspired by the connection between water and gardening, the work employs bamboo weaving to form a light, cloud-like structure that invites engagement with the garden, both spatially and spiritually. 

The public artwork’s title, An Untied Cloud, draws on the Daoist concept of carefree existence and harmony with nature, referencing the term ‘An Untied Raft.’ The name, Atopos, inspired by Byung-Chul Han’s exploration of the indescribable and nomadic, reflects the installation’s journey across different settings and its evocation of the incomparability inherent in classical Chinese gardens.

Atopos in Qiuxiapu Garden | images by Zhou Yang unless stated otherwise

Atopos installation sets up across three Chinese Gardens

At its first stop in Guyi Garden, Atopos, designed by Shu Yin and Shaw Xu, hovers above a pond teeming with fish, blending with a serene landscape of still water and dynamic motion. The interplay of stillness and movement of the fish highlights the role of reflections and shadows in Chinese garden design, which often juxtaposes reality with illusion. Here, the installation underscores the intangible beauty of change in nature, echoing the literati’s contemplations of the fleeting and the indescribable. The second stop, Zuibaichi Garden, constructed during the early Qing Dynasty, is a rare example of a Jiangnan ‘village land’ waterscape garden. Nestled above a ‘rural wild pond,’ the installation integrates with the aesthetic of the space, inviting visitors to step down the stone steps beneath its bamboo structure and immerse themselves in a tranquil environment. The interaction evokes the simplicity and comfort characteristic of pre-Ming garden design.

At its final stop, Qiuxiapu Garden, Atopos floats over the deep waters of Taohuatan, a pond situated between two mountains with contrasting landscapes. The north mountain rises steeply, while the south extends horizontally, framing the pool with a dynamic tension. The installation aligns with this carefully scaled composition, blending with the tall trees and reflecting on the water’s surface to amplify the poetic beauty of the garden’s scenery. Through its journey across these three gardens, Atopos – An Untied Cloud reinterprets the relationship between nature, philosophy, and human interaction within traditional Chinese garden aesthetics.

Atopos in Qiuxiapu Garden

Atopos in Qiuxiapu Garden

Atopos in Zuibaichi Garden | image by Gu Moxiu

Atopos in Zuibaichi Garden | image by Shu Yin

Atopos in Guyi Garden | image by Shu Yin

Atopos in Guyi Garden | image by Xu Zhifeng

Atopos in Guyi Garden | image by Shu Yin

Atopos in Qiuxiapu Garden | image by Liao XIaoyi

Atopos in Qiuxiapu Garden | image by Liu Chunlan

Atopos details | images by Zhou Yang & Shu Yin, sketch by Shu Yin

project info:

name: Atopos – An Untied Cloud
designers: Shu Yin + Shaw Xu
location: Shanghai, China

photography: Zhou Yang, Gu Moxiu, Shu Yin, Xu Zhifeng, Liao XIaoyi, Liu Chunlan

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom