KÜKÜ is located on the second storey of Theatre X shopping mall, along the historical Huaihai Road. Theatre X Huaihai | Young Power Centre is a retail space where integrates innovative experience and art culture.
KÜKÜ is taken from Shanghai dialect, means “to take a look”. We always believe that “seeing is an ability, it is the ability to discover beauty. It could be from daily life or little details around you. When ‘seeing ‘becomes a habit, it will lead you to a magnificent new world.”
Our client, also a friend of ours, contacted us early November 2019. Form his daily observation and also our past projects reference, he believes that we have a similar attitude towards design. Both of us wish for an opportunity to have fun project together. Due to the pop-up store’s characteristic, “the relationship between space and human “becomes the most important challenge in this project.
How to attract passer-by to slow down and have a look inside? And how to make the façade looks solid yet does not make people feeling enclose inside? These are the questions that we have kept thinking during the design process. After a few rounds of discussions, we finally came into a conclusion of using PVC corrugated board as the façade material. To carry on the “looking “action throughout, there are random mini holes on the façade for you to see. Curiosity leads you to discover the “beauty “inside.
To coherent with the façade curve lines, edges of wood platform are carefully treated into cures too. In order to step into the interior space, first, you have to walk through the wood platform, then brush through layers of tassel that emphasises the “looking” action.
A version of the space planning that is sketched during one of the design meetings, it reminds us of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe by Peter Eisenman. Thousands of concrete pillars ranging from 0.2 to 4.8 meters in height, it reveals the innate disturbance and potential for chaos in all the systems of apparent order. The concept “Matrix and Maze” has then naturally derived.
Under the premise of meeting the functional requirements of a large number of goods display, 28 numbers of square unit shelf formed the matrix in the centre space, one of the units is an existing column which camouflages in the matrix. Due to budget constraints, the use of low-cost finished product is one way to solve this issue. There are two modular shelves, each n 700mm by 700mm in dimension, one finished with galvanised steel in a block, and the other finished with layers of tassel along three sides.
These modular units purposely rotates to a different direction to emphasise the maze concept. The space between each shelf allows only for an individual passage through the grid. These space condensed and provides a free circulation experience from any point. Isn’t it amazing to wander in the maze wonderland?
The immersive experience is another subject that we are seeking for this project. We invited one of our friend “bloom bloom FLEUR”, who is a floral artist. Her concept for the immersive experience came from “city wheat field”, using a different kind of hay and wheat species to enhance the three senses. The immersive experience mainly in the two individual rooms named ‘The Book Club’ and ‘The Dance Club’. Adding on to the visual experience, the floral installation also plays part in the two long furniture display plinth on the two sides of the space.
It is grateful that the graphic design for KÜKÜ has carried on simultaneously with interior design. Thus there are many ideas in which the graphics and the interior space are equally important in this project. By adding on visual identity graphics for the centre shelf, the ambience of sequence and chaos evoked by the concept of matrix and maze is magnified. The name KÜKÜ is very catchy and easy to spread, that is also one of the reasons why KÜKÜ has been reinforced to many applications.