Dazzling Wangjing

Colorful Wangjing is an urban landmark created for the Wangjing district of Beijing, located at the intersection of Wangjing West Road and Futong West Street, the main gateway into the area. Wangjing was once open farmland in northeastern Beijing and has developed over two decades into an international district combining foreign affairs, business, mobile-internet technology, fashionable living, and social functions. The commission was to mark the gateway and express the spirit of this new international city. The concept and form derive directly from a modern interpretation of the ancient place name Wangjing, meaning gazing toward the capital: historically, arriving here one could see the city. On the satellite map, Wangjing West Road indeed aligns with the central axis to Tiananmen Square, so the new landmark carries the ancient meaning of watching over the capital. Since looking and seeing are achieved through the eye, the abstract expression of an eye forms the basic shape, and local residents have naturally dubbed it the Eye of Wangjing. The main body is an 18-meter-diameter ring of stainless steel tensioning a central double-curved LED screen, together forming the simple eye shape. The outer ring uses mirror stainless steel to make the supporting structure disappear, and the tensioned cables give the central pupil a floating, mysterious quality. The double-curved LED screen is the core and soul, displaying rich content that evokes all things within the eye, and its interactivity lies in content produced by other artists and citizens. The original plan was to commission different artists to create multimedia works for different times, seasons, festivals, and major events, reflecting Wangjing's diverse, inclusive, and colorful spirit. The work thus activates a previously unremarkable small plaza, providing an ever-changing context for daily leisure and exchange, with light sensors that automatically adjust LED brightness by time of day and separate front and rear dimming to minimize impact on nearby residential blocks.