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Art in the garden is a captivating fusion of the beauty between art and the landscape that surrounds it.
At the international art festival Art Macao 2019, the artwork “Dragon’s Footprint” became one of the major highlights of art in the garden, created by world-renowned architect Yansong Ma, founder of MAD Architects.
Just a few months before showcasing this piece, Yansong Ma had earned widespread praise for his design of Terminal 3 at Harbin Taiping International Airport in China, which was crafted to resemble the intricate structure of a snowflake.
Yansong Ma and his MAD Architects team were invited to create their installation at the luxury mixed-use complex, Wynn Palace , which hosted the “Garden of Earthly Delights” exhibition as part of Art Macao 2019. The exhibition drew inspiration from and was named after the painting by Renaissance artist Hieronymus Bosch. The artworks in the exhibition explored the concept of “space,” with Ma being the only artist to use the outdoor space of this luxury complex as his canvas.
The orange footprints of an ancient mythical creature glowed prominently in the darkness, surrounded by the skyscrapers and neon lights of the modern world. It was a truly mesmerizing sight.
In Chinese mythology, the dragon is a heavenly creature and the emperor of all luck-bringing animals, which aligns perfectly with Macau, Asia’s city of fortune. (If you’ve ever watched Chinese films, you’ll notice dragons are featured on royal attire and artifacts.)
To create the artwork, the architects excavated deep into the ground and laid rubber sheets like those used in playgrounds. The dragon left behind two massive footprints, measuring 29.84 x 34.64 meters and 30.66 x 34.37 meters. The installation also included integrated lighting, so at night, the footprints pulse with light, giving the impression that a massive divine creature had just stepped onto the earth, leaving scorched marks and smoldering embers behind.
At Wynn Palace, visitors are also drawn in by the free sky gondola rides, which take you from the street straight into the complex. As shown in the video, the artwork was designed to be viewed from above. At night, when the greenery fades into darkness, the glowing orange footprints of the mythical creature stand out against the modern backdrop of high-rise buildings and city lights—a truly awe-inspiring moment.
Now that we’ve explored the exterior, for those who haven’t yet seen the interior exhibition at Wynn Palace, you can view it here.
Story by: Tae Art Man
