OAS/S-AETHER

The 2026 Aranya Theatre Festival’s theme is “Gaze & Adventure,” and “Migratory Birds 300,” initiated by Liu Chang, Zhu Sha, Zheng Jing, and Chen Minghao, uses the metaphor of migratory birds to innovatively build a new performance platform and exchange network. Each year, it gathers 300 creators from different backgrounds and identities around the world to perform, reside, and create together for 300 hours.

“Redefining,” “What’s Happening,” “Sustainability,” and “Environmental Protection” are the enduring themes and principles of “Migratory Birds 300.”

“AETHER” in “OAS/S-AETHER” stands for “ether,” which is considered the fifth element constituting the universe, existing between heaven and earth, beyond earth, water, fire, and wind. Today, it has become another metaphor for humanity’s exploration of the unknown, information transmission, and future civilization.

“OAS/S-AETHER” attempts to construct a spiritual space between nature and the future, reality and imagination. The installation continues the OAS/S series’ ongoing reflection on the evolution of human civilization, using minimalist and restrained geometric language to create a public artwork that resembles both a futuristic relic and an ancient giant bird.

The work is constructed from interconnected metal rods. Starting from the center, the structure gradually extends to both sides, gently approaching the ground, forming a continuous and dynamic spatial structure. From its overall outline, the installation resembles a bird poised for flight, its wings spread but not yet taking off, embodying a power within stillness. The precise geometric relationships between the structures create an open and light structure, ensuring overall stability while maximizing the sense of spatial transparency, allowing the installation to permeate its surroundings rather than isolate it from them.

Transparent acrylic lightboxes, serving as the energy core of the work, are interspersed between the structures. This section of the design echoes the product’s “no collaboration unless absolutely necessary” philosophy. Soft light outlines the growth direction of the entire framework, enhancing the visual tension of the installation extending towards the sky. The internal plants imbue the installation with real life. As night falls, the light transforms the originally rational structure into a vibrant energy network, giving the metal frame a light, floating, futuristic technological feel. The light is not merely illumination; it’s more like a continuously flowing energy within the installation, imbuing the static structure with a sense of time and breath.

The center of the installation is composed of copper plates, forming a highly dynamic core. The core copper plates feature the brand’s signature pattern as a texture. The laser beam at the center extends towards the sky, acting as a signal—a continuous voice from human civilization. It connects earth and sky, past and future, the individual and the universe, projecting invisible information into a wider space. Everyone who comes before the installation becomes part of this signal at this moment, converging their thoughts, emotions, and imaginations into this beam of light.

Project Type: Public Art Installation
Project Time: June 2025
Lead Architect: Li Zhengdong
Project Design: Li Zhengdong, Bai Rubing, Wen Xu
Partners: Only collaborate when necessary; Dao Niang
Project Location: Aranya Golden Coast Community, Changli County, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province
Construction Company: Beijing Yurucheng Exhibition & Display Co., Ltd.
Image Source: Creative; Migratory Bird 300
Official Organizing Committee: Migratory Bird 300
Venue Provided by: Aranya
Art Director: Liu Chang