{"id":195747,"date":"2025-06-19T00:21:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T00:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/195747\/"},"modified":"2025-06-19T00:21:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T00:21:12","slug":"mad-revives-traditional-craft-with-chinese-paper-umbrella-in-venice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/195747\/","title":{"rendered":"MAD revives traditional craft with ‘chinese paper umbrella’ in venice"},"content":{"rendered":"

MAD balances technology and material intelligence<\/p>\n

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At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, MAD<\/strong><\/a> presents Chinese Paper Umbrella, an outdoor installation<\/strong><\/a> at the China Pavilion that reflects the theme \u2018Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.\u2019 The soft, splaying structure brings the delicate form of the traditional Chinese oil paper<\/strong><\/a> umbrella to architectural scale, transforming it into a performative pavilion that offers rest and shelter.<\/p>\n

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The work situates itself between ancient knowledge and contemporary experimentation. It provides a microclimate within the gardens of the China Pavilion, and a demonstration of how traditional materials can evolve when paired with environmental sensing and adaptive design strategies. In this way, the installation demonstrates MAD\u2019s interest in the emotional and experiential qualities of space, and its broader efforts to humanize technological systems through architecture.<\/p>\n

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The project remains on view at the China Pavilion through November 23rd, 2025, as part of the Venice Architecture Biennale<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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images courtesy MAD<\/p>\n

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ancient chinese craft arrives in venice<\/p>\n

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Positioned in the garden near the terminus of the Arsenale exhibition route, MAD\u2019s Chinese Paper Umbrella is at once a sculptural intervention and a space for pause. The umbrella is constructed with Xuan paper \u2014 an absorbent, fibrous material traditionally used for calligraphy \u2014 treated with multiple layers of tung oil. This process renders it both water-resistant and translucent, enabling it to withstand the maritime conditions of Venice while filtering light in ever-changing ways.<\/p>\n

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Visitors stepping beneath the Beijing-based architects<\/strong><\/a>\u2018 canopy encounter a shift in atmosphere from the Biennale<\/strong><\/a> beyond. Light is softened, shadows stretch and contract with the time of day, and the sensation of temperature alters as air circulates through the permeable seams of the paper. The structure\u2019s scale retains an intimacy, inviting individuals to linger, reflect, or simply observe the rhythms of weather and daylight as they pass through the space.<\/p>\n

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the project is installed in the garden of the China Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale<\/p>\n

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a paper umbrella with Responsive Technology<\/p>\n

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Beyond its material craftsmanship, MAD incorporates contemporary environmental technologies into its Chinese Paper Umbrella. A misting system embedded at the apex of the umbrella activates in response to high temperatures, cooling the shaded area beneath and subtly amplifying the sensory qualities of the space. The integration of OPPLE Lighting\u2019s Smart Dynamic Light (SDL) system allows the canopy to adjust to changes in light and weather. This dynamic interplay between natural and artificial systems highlights the structure\u2019s sensitivity to its environment.<\/p>\n

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The paper surface, though treated for durability, is designed to change with time. As sun, moisture, and wind weather the material, the umbrella will gradually yellow and soften. This slow transformation is not concealed, but rather embraced as part of the design. MAD\u2019s intention is to foreground impermanence not as decay, but as a condition of coexistence with the natural world.<\/p>\n

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MAD draws from traditional Chinese oil paper umbrellas, scaled to create a public shelter<\/p>\n

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Xuan paper is coated with tung oil to produce a durable and translucent surface<\/p>\n

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smart lighting responds to environmental changes using OPPLE\u2019s dynamic light technology<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MAD balances technology and material intelligence \u00a0 At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, MAD presents Chinese…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195748,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[3883,4021,4020,4022,77,79557,79558,10489,16,15,6175],"class_list":{"0":"post-195747","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-architecture-in-italy","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-mad-architects","14":"tag-paper-design","15":"tag-temporary-pavilions","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-venice-architecture-biennale-2025"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114707175329582062","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}