spotlighting 2023’s TOP 10 installations by our readers

Playfully thought-provoking artworks such as towering pillars made from stacked kitchen utensils, and a futuristic urban farm that explores the potential of biomaterials in design are among our top picks of this year’s installations. As we continue our review of our favourite stories from 2023, we see how designers have explored diverse materials, such as the whimsical and the mundane, and expected canvases like the earth itself, for various effects. Some try and shed light on pressing global issues such as climate change and overconsumption of plastic, while others simply seek to to bring joy to their audience by crafting immersive multisensory experiences or luminous sculptures that provoke new perceptions of urban environments. Read on to discover more of our TOP 10 picks of installations created by our readers. 

WHITE FUNGI-LIKE COMPONENTS SET UP BIO-ART INSTALLATION IN BUENOS AIRES

image by Adela Aldama

Fungi Kingdom – Urban Farm is a project that aims to raise awareness about natural and biodegradable materials and to explore the potential of mycelium in design applications. The installation by designers Julio Oropel and Jose Luis Zacarias Otiñano resides in Tiro Federal Argentino’s central hall in Buenos Aires. The Former Argentine Federal Shooting Building, constructed in 1937 and declared as a National Historic Monument, is defined by its rationalistic architecture. The Central Hall develops a concentric projection and is adorned with noble materials and polished granite and marble floors. Linear structures and circular geometries transform the entrance hall into a gathering space where science, nature, and creativity meet.

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PILLARS OF PILED EGGS, SPOONS, AND SAUCERS SPOTLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF A BALANCED DIET

image courtesy of Andrea Papi

Piling eggs, pans, cups, and saucers, Italian artist Andrea Papi’s’ installation Pilastri (Pillars) invites his audience to reflect on the theme of nutrition. Inspired by both the mundane sight of a week’s worth of dirty crockery piled up in a kitchen sink and the grandeur of regal architectural porticos, Papi constructs towering columns that span the entire height of the room from the elements of his very own breakfast. Contrasting the edifices’ intricacy with their solidity, the artist reflects on the paradox of a contemporary morning culinary culture often notoriously rich in refined sugars, and the importance of starting the day with a nourishing meal.

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A SLENDER RED OPENING SLICES THE EARTH FOR HAJIME YOSHIDA ARCHITECTURE’S LAND ART IN JAPAN

image courtesy of HAJIME YOSHIDA ARCHITECTURE

Amid the tranquil landscape of Toga, Japan, Serpent Lady is a land art project bridging nature and human existence. Realized by HAJIME YOSHIDA ARCHITECTURE, the project sits at the confluence of a mountain and river, slicing the earth with a deep, slender hole. Its vibrant red hue starkly contrasts the earthen tones and tapestry of insects and animals that encircle it, while its bold geometric form infuses a sense of order to the site, where there were previously no physical elements. Concealed within are steps which gently invite observers to delve into the embrace of Mother Earth. ‘This is a landscape space that reconstructs new relationships with the earth and its life,’ note the architects.

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500 BAMBOO BASKETS WEAVE TOGETHER FOR SUSTAINABLE ‘STREET URCHIN’ PAVILION IN CAMBODIA

Under the Canopy, an annual temporary pavilion design challenge organized by Creative Generation, has unveiled its first creation in the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Titled Street Urchin, the architectural installation by Building Trust International showcases a unique curved bamboo form that harmoniously blends with the city’s streetscape, embracing its surroundings to bear a resemblance to its namesake creature. In a celebration of sustainable design and shining a spotlight on natural materials and low impact architecture, the installation reimagines the humble bamboo chicken coop by weaving a canopy of 500 baskets. Rooting the structure in its context, the design team draws on Cambodia’s rich ancient tradition of basketry for the choice of materiality.

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MOBILE EXHIBITION KIT ARRAYS WOODEN DISPLAY STANDS WITH SLIDING CASES

image by Gottingham

WHO ARE WE is a traveling exhibition kit set up by Haruka Misawa and compiled from the vast collection of stuffed mammals preserved by the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo. The exposition is designed to enable adults and children alike to proactively feel the unexpected connections between themselves and animals, nature, and the earth through the various observation clues in the drawers of the exhibition stand, and to bring this sense of connection back to their daily lives.

Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science preserves an archive of millions of specimens, many of which remain in storage and are not available to the public. This mobile setting is designed to be exhibited not only in museums but also in commercial facilities, schools, and other diverse places and can travel around the world, inviting individuals who may not have previously been drawn to museums or taxidermy to experience moments of surprise and discovery.

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BRIAN ENO & JIRI PRIHODA COLLABORATE ON IMMERSIVE SOUND INSTALLATION IN PRAGUE

image by Ondřej Polák

NAVE exhibition at Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague is a collaborative work by music pioneer Brian Eno and designer Jiri Prihoda that unveils an immersive experience. The exhibition, the second joint installation between the two artists after 25 years, showcases a unique fusion of sound, light, and architectural elements within the gallery’s neo-renaissance space. Visitors encounter a transformative journey filled with evolving soundscapes, guided by the sculptural installation, and the subtle play of light. A large suspended ornate room opens up spilling natural daylight from above. Soft-tonal ambient sounds and primal chanting embrace the space drawing visitors inwards.

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ANDREA PAPI’S PLASTIC COLOSSEUM SHAPED BY STACKED CHAIRS BRINGS THEATER BACK TO THE PEOPLE

Reviving the historic typology of the amphitheater in the age of plastic, Andrea Papi’s Colosseo stacks hundreds of used chairs in concentric configurations to evoke the days of ancient Greek and Roman entertainment. In Urbino, Italy, the artist brings traditional theater back to the people with a minimalist design shaped from the mundane — cheap, used plastic chairs typically found in people’s back gardens — challenging the historic idea of theater being a cultural pastime for only the bourgeoisie. Emulating the layout of a grand colosseum, the two installations recreate the tiered format by stacking the seats on top of one another, with the row closest to the arena composed of single chairs, and the highest tier comprising a stack of dozens.

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‘SUNSET’ INSTALLATION IN DELFT EMERGES FROM THE WATER TO EMIT A VIBRANT, 360 DEGREE GLOW

image courtesy of Ludmila Rodrigues

Ethereal and luminous, the ‘Sunset’ light sculpture emerges from the waters against its urban backdrop of Delft to reinterpret the everyday phenomenon of the sun sinking into the horizon. Designed by Mike Rijnierse and Ludmila Rodrigues, the installation draws inspiration from the universal fascination with sunsets in films and paintings, creating a large, inflated sun that emits a vibrant red glow throughout the day and night.

Its illumination creates a 360 degree panoramic view to question our relationship with time and perspective. The ‘Sunset’ invites the public for a contemplation in stillness and urges them to gravitate around it. As they get closer or move further away, and perceive the installation from a different area as they circulate, they can find unusual angles and relations with the space.

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MORADAVAGA’S NEON RED LIGHT INSTALLATION ENVELOPS FORMER TRAIN STATION IN ITALY

image courtesy of Moradavaga

Design collective Moradavaga presents its latest interactive art piece, Aurora, located at the former train station/bar/cultural hub in Auer/Ora, Italy. Resembling a climbing plant, the installation gracefully envelops the vacant building, forming the word ‘Aurora’ in the shape of a giant neon sign. The typographic design draws from the electrifying dynamics of passing trains and the vibrant energy once present within the site. The artwork is a captivating artistic intervention that visually signals a new dawn in the life of the former train station ‘Ora – Val di Fiemme/Auer – Fleimstal’. 

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PLASTIQUE FANTASTIQUE’S RINGED INSTALLATION ENVELOPS PARISIAN FOOTBRIDGE FOR NUIT BLANCHE 2023

On the occasion of Nuit Blanche 2023, Paris plays host to RINGdeLUXE, a bold in situ installation enveloping the iconic Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge. Realized by the artistic duo Plastique Fantastique, this monumental ringed artwork captures the imagination of its observers with its visually striking and mechanically complex structural design. Lightweight and reflective, the installation acts as both a connection and a boundary. It exudes a profound reverence for public space, seeking to alter our perception of the environment and evoke unique multi-sensory experiences. In this way, it breathes new life into the city, revealing the previously unseen and heightening the senses of all who encounter it.

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see designboom’s TOP 10 stories archive:

2022 — 2021 —

2020 — 2019 —  2018 — 2017 — 2016 — 2015 — 2014 — 2013