CHOI+SHINE installs hovering, hand crocheted urchins at marina bay, singapore

in singapore’s marina bay, CHOI+SHINE architects has installed a sea of hand crocheted ‘urchins’ that hover above the ground, forming an unusually delicate contrast against the backdrop of super-tall skyscrapers. each fabric form comprises a crochet shell held in tension over an aluminum frame and suspended by thin, near-invisible cables. the project mimics the delicate and textured surface of sea urchin shells found in the ocean, creating a visual harmony between nature and the manmade environment in the urban context of singapore.

all images © 2017 CHOI+SHINE

CHOI+SHINE designed the ‘urchins‘ in response to the i light marina bay festival’s theme of biomimicry and sustainability. drawing from the intricacy of sea urchin shells’ lightweight and permeable surface, the installation comprises a crochet chassis constructed from UV and weather resistant polyester chord. the forms are designed to interact with natural light during the day, and glow when illuminated by night. 

as viewers enter within the hovering fabric objects, they are surrounded by a layer of glowing lace. visitors experience the detail and texture of the urchins, and observe the city through this visual filter. responding to the wind and touch of visitors, the ‘urchins’ and their shadows move slowly in mid-air with a rhythmic and repetitive motion.

project info:

steel fabrication: modern metal solutions
assembly crew in boston: thomas shine, susie kim, myungsu ko, yeseul choi, isabelle lippincott, hyokyung lee
installation crew in singapore: thomas shine, jin choi, young-eun choi, jaekyu lee, soyeung ko, xiaomin, hyosoo lee
structural consultant: árni björn jónasson, ara engineering
installation support: ilight marina bay
crocheters: jin choi, sophie cho, hyokyung lee, patti murphy, junghee suh, kyula whang, miriam robinson, insuk durham, mirto golino, janet griffin, nancy belmudes-gambill, dianna smith, sandra feldten, natalie weichel, deidra depagter ball, sue babbs, victoria kruse, patty foley, rose nissen, peihan orestes, jena duncan, elida fejzaj, eunhye kim, mijeong takahashi, concetta phillipps, mary blumestien, cheryl blair, kelly ran, corina palmer, melinda burnett, nora hill, sara gregory, priscilla alarcon, paige henderson, renata carvalho, effy basset, nicole ranta, sammi elliot, helena kang, cindy ralston, jen serwitz, lillian hughes, heather cap, faith taylor, laura finder, lindsey walsworth, pam bee-lindgren, priscilla smith, amiee dill, ashlee deetz schleicher, coty colson.