The suspended 10-m-tall installation Glacier, and Lili, a giant figure who appears to be living in some future time and space, are wowing visitors to the Yintai Center, in Beijing, near the World Trade Center.

It is created by Tim Yip, the art director who won an Oscar for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He also claimed the British Academy Film Award for Best Costume Designer, in 2001, for the same movie.

The works are part of the ongoing exhibition Positivity.

For his work Glacier, Yip wanted to make viewers reflect on the problem of global warming by creating a floating, melting iceberg.

The giant iceberg is suspended in the central hall of the shopping center, with its peak at the third floor level. Melted water drips into an ice pool below.

To design the lighting for the piece, Yip watched a lot of films with close-ups of glaciers, studying the effects of water and sunlight.

"When the sunlight hits icebergs floating in the sea it is refracted ... it's so beautiful," Yip says.

A lamp illuminates the droplets falling into the pool, while 100 other lights are used to show off the work to best effect.

Viewers can stand beneath the work, watch the lighting effects and listen to the "bang ... thud" of the melting ice.

"For Glacier, there were a number of difficulties," the 43-year-old Yip says. "Firstly, whether it would end up looking like ice or not, and then whether or not the materials needed to make the ice would be hazardous, at the shopping center.

"Finally with the ice model and installation being so large, it was necessary to dismantle it piece by piece, transport it to the building, before reassembling it with great care to make it look as natural as possible."

The Lili installation is found in a corridor that leads up to the third floor. It begins with a 36-cm tall figurine, that is repeatedly enlarged until it is a fiberglass model three-times larger than life, sitting on a chair.

It looks upward and brims with strength, Yip says, capturing the moment when someone looks up when they inhale.

"When you make small sculptures," Yip says, "It's quite easy to keep a handle on the overall feel. But as it's being enlarged, you need to step back to figure it out because it looks very different up close."

"Her clothing is made of various materials, including muslin, velvet and lace ... the whole process was funny and enjoyable," Yip says.

Go to Forum >>0 Comments