notice life's subtleties in emerging invisible by xian architects

notice life’s subtleties in emerging invisible by xian architects
all images courtesy of liu bin, xian architects

xipu new residence, located in the longgang district of shenzhen, china, served as the location for xian architect’s ’emerging invisible’ installation at the 2015 bi-city biennale. in response to the theme ‘co-living’, the team decided to renovate one of the site’s abandoned residences into an herbal tea house for the community.

’emerging invisible’

conceptually, the installation is as much about what isn’t seen as what is. a brownish black table, on which several bowls rest, is the room’s only furnishing. as visitors enter, a juxtaposition is created between the familiar setting, and a strangeness that’s hard to identify. pausing and observing will allow guests to identify the eroded surfaces, dust, yellowed mud, old wood, hazy light, and other details. ’emerging invisible’ is about taking time, and emphasizing the subtleties that have been there all along. 

natural light passing through the space 

original interior 

entrance 

‘xipu new residence’ street 

construction 

’emerging invisible’ venue  

exhibition guide

project info:

location: shenzhen, china
exhibition period: 12/5/2015 – 2/28/2016
photographer: liu bin, xian architects
videographer: zheng wubian

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: nick brink | designboom