André Fu Announces 3 Site Specific Commissions for Hong Kong Palace Museum

André Fu announces his collaboration for Hong Kong Palace Museum, a major cultural institution that opened its doors to the public on 02 July 2022.

Fu’s personal works has long been inspired by artistic influences and cultural heritage, which has led him to create three site specific commissions for the institution: a major tapestry for the auditorium entrance; an artisan floor rug for the VIP room; and a major installation of modular seating for the public atrium spaces.

THE INSPIRATION

The inspiration behind André’s artisan works comes from his personal desire to create a cross-cultural dialogue initiated by the museum, articulating the historical and artistic exchanges that comprise the institution. Fu sought to tap into the deeper context of the museum, exploring through his design the union of the past and the present in line with the Museum’s own vision.

When André first visited the museum site in the summer of 2021, he was struck by the punctuation of light that perforated through the vast cascading ceiling installation into the main atrium. The metallic ceiling’s structure, interpreted by Fu as modern re-interpretation of traditional roofing tiles, evokes fluidity and movement. Meanwhile, its play of light and shadow serves as a visual metaphor for André’s desire to convey a sense of cultural convergence, exchange and dialogue.

From this point of departure, André embarked on visual research into cultural phenomena that conveys a sense of harmonious rhythm: from the interlocking vignette of traditional Chinese roof tiles, to the energy and movement of synchronised dancers, to the fluid tempo of ink-painted brushstrokes.

“Creating these pieces for the museum was a unique opportunity to incorporate the various contextual facets of heritage, culture, and conversation at play. By invoking a sense of movement in each work, I wanted to reflect the exchange of ideas that takes place in a cultural institution of this calibre while simultaneously honouring designs of the past. Each piece tells a narrative of history and technique by blending the customary with the contemporary, creating a visual representation of the evolution of Chinese craft.”

© Hong Kong Palace Museum © 香港故宮文化博物館© Hong Kong Palace Museum © 香港故宮文化博物館

‘ETERNAL LINKS’

THE MODULAR PUBLIC SEATING INSTALLATION

A key highlight for the collaboration is the creation of the 2 public seating installations that will be located within the 2 main atrium spaces. ​ ​ Evoking the spirit of convergence between cultures, Fu has drawn influences from the form of traditional Chinese roof tiles - capturing the silhouettes of these tiles, and their ability to interlock and interlink.

Titled “Eternal Links”, meticulously hand-crafted from Chinese oak in the form of 2 curvilinear tiles, each bench’s curling formations borrows from a shape he sketched initially with two brush strokes. Constructed in solid Chinese oak, each of the thirty benches evokes a depth of visual rigour and presence. When placed together in a spiral format, the installation conveys a poetic feeling of movement and visual dynamic.

“From a functional perspective, the benches have the ability to foster a space for communal exchange and conversation, which is something I also wanted to represent abstractly through the overlapping and curvilinear shape. The form of the benches allows them to immerse with the architectural elements of the building, creating a holistic and harmonious environment conducive to discussion.”

‘THE CONVERGENCE’

THE TAPESTRY & RUG

Named “The Convergence”, André has created a key wall-hung tapestry for the Auditorium entrance, as well as a vast floor rug for the VIP room. Each piece acts as a metaphor for the interwoven cultural heritage behind the museum’s vision.

Low loops, high loops and cut piles of different heights are used to create a textured surface that recalls the movement of shadows cast in the museum’s main atrium through the day. These surfaces almost vibrate with the sense of energetic movement cast by the patterns of light and shade. For the wall tapestry, this effect is created through the monochromatic play of 12 different shades of deep purple; for the floor carpet, 12 shades of yellow and mustard create this effect. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

The 2 artisan pieces are created in collaboration with Hong Kong’s very own Taiping Carpets with its team of dedicated craftsmen.

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About André Fu Studio

ANDRÉ FU STUDIO is an internationally acclaimed design studio in Hong Kong, founded by interior architect André Fu. With an extensive portfolio of projects throughout Asia and Europe, the studio has revolutionized the concept of modern luxury with a series of projects that reflect Fu’s signature artistic perspective and timeless sensibility.

A trained architect, Fu’s projects span scales and typologies, continuously bridging the gap between cultures, and drawing as naturally on European principles of beauty as from Oriental qualities, traditions and modernity. ​ He has designed interiors for major hotels and restaurants around the world including Villa La Coste in Provence, Hong Kong’s Upper House Hotel and the St Regis, Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, as well as Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. ​

生於香港的André Fu，為亞洲最具代表性的當代室內設計師之一，以其迷人雋遠的原創室內設計聞名。

André 為香港故宮設計作品有三：於香港賽馬會演講廳入口位置的大型掛氈、於士林館的手工地氈，以及置於三樓、四樓中庭的座椅。

André 以中式瓦頂獨有的輪廓為靈感來源，為香港故宮的公共空間設計一系列以 “ETERNAL LINKS”「環扣」為名的長凳。以中國橡木精制成兩片彎曲的瓦片，正是André 最初起草用兩筆勾勒的卷曲形狀。

而位於香港賽馬會演講廳入口位置的大型掛氈，及在士林館的手工地氈，巧似香港與北京交織的文化遺產，並以 “CONVERGENCE” 「交匯」為名。大型掛氈上由深至淺的12度紫，恰似博物館中庭一天內的投影變化；置於士林館的手工地氈，同樣以12種色度的黃及芥末黃色，達至相同效果。