Incorporating technology and art organically into space, pushing boundaries, has always been the design DNA of our DU Studio. This time, we ventured into interdisciplinary collaboration with an artist to create an installation art piece to apply for the 2024 Design Shanghai @ Xintiandi Design Festival. We are delighted to announce that our designed piece has stood out among nearly a hundred applicants and has been successfully selected.

The theme for this year is "Hybrid Playground," aiming to break boundaries and encourage stepping out of conventional paths, reaching the creativity of "playtime." We collaborate with multimedia artists from 2^6 Studio to create an installation that is both fun and thought-provoking.

【Design concept】

With the development of artificial intelligence (AI), are we being replaced? Who are we? Are we AI? What was our past like? We want to design a multimedia interactive device to help young people discover what their primitive existence is like.These avant-garde ornaments originate from a series of mysterious patterns. Our device revolves around trying on these ornaments, where young people choose, try on, and through interaction, the sound device within the device will suggest to the experimenters what their past lives might have been like.

The concept of the artwork is named U (you), with the two dots above resembling eyes, symbolizing the moons in our installation, through which you can discover a deeper aspect of yourself. In the visual language of the installation, there are a total of 8 moons with varying heights. The installation consists of 8 mirrored panels, with 4 of them featuring screens displaying models wearing the jewelry.The other four involve experimenters trying on a 3D-printed jewelry piece composed of a particularly mysterious pattern.

By trying on this mysterious jewelry, you can capture a different version of yourself. Then, by pressing the button on the half-moon mirror, the sound device inside the mirror will provide insights into your past lives based on the current moon phase and the time of trying on the jewelry.

【The Concept of Jewelry】

These avant-garde ornaments originate from a series of mysterious patterns. This jewelry, rooted in the mystic code called  “Alchemy of Forms,” transforms symbols, forms and techno-sigils into personal identity revelations. Its generative essence invites wearers to connect with their past, understand their present, and imagine their selves. This journey becomes a bridge between time, self-discovery, and the potential for transformation. SOMA is an artistic effort to include IDENTITY within metal jewelry. The origin of the design is a mystic alchemic language called “The Alchemy of Forms” designed a few years ago in Paris, France.

Here is the participation process:

We look forward to completing this set of works as soon as possible. See you in Xintiandi in June!