garis architects designs urban symphony, an interactive installation at WUF kuala lampur

in conjunction with world urban forum in kuala lumpur, garis architects was invited to collaborate with UNHabitat to set up a pop-up art installation intended to promote awareness of quality public spaces in kuala lumpur city. titled ‘urban symphony’, the installation erecting on the street allows passers-by to engage with the artistic process, ask questions about the work and goals.

chosen by garis architects and UNHabitat, the UPVC pipes give great flexibility in forming the angles and shapes with its off-the-shelves angle joint of this interactive art pieces formed by a combination of 36 vertical modules of various heights. as people speak into these modules, their voices are amplified and carried out into the air. the breeze carries these words and ideas into the atmosphere to create a collective voice.

trumpet-shaped listening devices are installed at the end of each module, where painted symphony horns stand high — some angles toward the sky, some are pointed to the human level. children can explore the playful qualities of sound by talking into one end of the sculpture to produce sound for the listener on the other end.

the materials used for seats and benches are totally recyclable; these seatings were created from 55 recycled pallets placed in between the symphony horn, intending to break down the conventions of standardized seating patterns, utilizing height and space, as well as offering a large amount of external seating in this familiar urban space.

tape art is part of this installation to entice, delight, and direct the pedestrian flow and experiencing this public space. the colorful lines use the language of kl-city metro map vector as it is a vibrant and memorable wayfinding indication of this growing urban legible city.

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: maria erman | designboom