MENGJIE LI
Co-designed with Atelier A×PSA |「MOONWALK IN THE CITY」
Role
Completed
Client
Location
Photography
Co-designed with Atelier A
2025
Power Station of Art Museum
Shanghai, China
Junnan Liu
The exhibition pavilion “Moonlight in the Museum” in the atrium of the PSA Art Museum features multiple functional zones including a handicraft workshop, tea room/board game lounge, memory art gallery, traditional cloth craft display, and lantern corridor. Centred around Shanghai's intangible cultural heritage “Chongming Cloth Craft,” it recreates scenes of old Shanghai life through meticulous design details.
Simultaneously, inspired by the regeneration of Huangpu District's historic neighbourhoods, we aspire for the pavilion's design to transcend mere intangible cultural heritage display, instead awakening a collective nostalgia for life in Shanghai's old laneways among an entire generation. Throughout the design, we have incorporated traditional techniques wherever possible, such as bamboo scaffolding and clothesline elements.
Guided by sustainability principles, we extensively repurposed existing PSA furniture while maintaining a flexible, reconfigurable spatial layout. We envision the structure itself receding into the background, serving as a backdrop for the events unfolding within the space.
“Memory Art Museum”
As the focal point of the venue, the Memory Art Museum collaborates with Chongming cloth artisans to present “Upcycling Old T-Shirts” as an interactive theme. Visitors may bring old garments to be patched with Chongming cloth by the artisans. The finished pieces will be displayed on the “clotheslines” suspended throughout the pavilion. These clotheslines, symbolic of old alleyways, transform from everyday tools into exhibits of memory when adorned with these repurposed garments.
“Islands of Light”
“Island of Light” was originally conceived as an outdoor installation along the Huangpu Riverside Promenade. The plan involved replicating the form of riverside rocks using steel, with fabric artists' works stitched onto their surfaces, creating a non-heritage exhibition point along the promenade. Later, due to site adjustments, it was relocated indoors. We retained the rock-like form but added internal lighting, transforming the rocks into “glowing lanterns.” Visitors walking around the island can admire the textile artworks from multiple angles, experiencing the intricate details of intangible cultural heritage up close.