Project: Digtal Feather
Client: J.HOTEL
Artist: Zhang zhoujie
Structural Designer: XinY
Images and Text: Zhang zhoujie
Location: Shanghai
Completed: 2021


The beauty of Chinese culture is reflected in the invisibility of water. This concept extends to the water feature in the lobby of the J Hotel on the ground floor, where Zhang Zhoujie's work "Rain and Wind Plume" is a perfect match for the water feature. The feather not only evokes the idea of rain and wind but also represents the iconic 'J' of J Hotel, a refreshing metaphor for the hotel's arrival in Lujiazui. At the beginning of his work, Zhang Zhoujie observed the plumes of animals in nature from an artist's perspective and found that the cilia have their rhythm, which is a result of the symbiosis between animal instincts and nature. He eventually created a pure and abstract 'feather' using computers. Computer intelligence has its mathematical beauty, while the ancient Chinese have used the eight trigrams for a long time to understand the mystery of binary. The sculpture is 3.3-meter long and made of titanium plating, with the cilia on both sides varying sparsely or densely, echoing the wave of water. Despite the metal material, the sculpture looks lightened by the free spreading feeling of the cilia. The exquisite fabrication reflects China's contemporary excellence in manufacturing. As a new generation of pioneering Chinese digital artists, Zhang Zhoujie builds a bridge between modern industry and traditional craftsmanship. While smart technology is sure to rewrite the world of tomorrow, art and aesthetics born of intelligence are rich in potential, and this sculpture is an attempt to discover the pulse of Eastern culture with new technology. The J Hotel guests are welcomed in this context, where modern intelligence and timeless imagery are intertwined, which is sure to send ripples through their hearts.


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