Blossoms of Renewal
2025 Lunar New Year Activation
“春风又绿江南岸，明月何时照我还。”
(Translation: The spring breeze once again brings green to the southern shore, and when will the moonlight guide me home once more?)
(Translation: The spring breeze once again brings green to the southern shore, and when will the moonlight guide me home once more?)
The Lunar New Year, or 春节 (chūn jié /Spring Festival), marks a time when nature stirs anew, inviting reflection on the past while embracing fresh beginnings.
Blossoms of Renewal(January 22 - February 26) offers a space where participants create their own vibrant 窗花 (chuāng huā/window blossoms), intricate paper-cut designs symbolising joy, celebration, and the warmth of community. These traditional decorations, often displayed during the Lunar New Year, bring good luck and happiness, and are made with colourful, delicate paper cuttings.
Participants will contribute their creations to a semi-spherical installation made from recycled plastic waste. As the installation grows, it transforms into a visual statement on the collective responsibility we share for the environment, while celebrating life’s fleeting beauty. Participants can either add to the installation or take their creations home as keepsakes of the celebration.
On the Lantern Festival(February 14), the installation will come alive with sound-reactive blossoms, where light and movement join in celebration. This special event brings a fusion of traditional artistry and contemporary interactivity, symbolising the illumination of new hopes and dreams, as the moonlight guides us toward a fresh start.
Curated by Jiawen Feng (any pronouns), a Chinese-diaspora artist based in Naarm (Melbourne), this activation bridges the timeless beauty of traditional Chinese art forms and innovative contemporary expressions. Drawing from their background as a queer diasporic artist, Jiawen’s work challenges traditional art forms by exploring identity and cultural intersection. Through projects like Blossoms of Renewal, Texture of Absence, and One & Only? 和合而生, Jiawen creates immersive experiences that engage audiences in cross-cultural dialogues, blending movement, interactive technology, and visual art to explore new ways of connection and communication.
Blossoms of Renewal(January 22 - February 26) offers a space where participants create their own vibrant 窗花 (chuāng huā/window blossoms), intricate paper-cut designs symbolising joy, celebration, and the warmth of community. These traditional decorations, often displayed during the Lunar New Year, bring good luck and happiness, and are made with colourful, delicate paper cuttings.
Participants will contribute their creations to a semi-spherical installation made from recycled plastic waste. As the installation grows, it transforms into a visual statement on the collective responsibility we share for the environment, while celebrating life’s fleeting beauty. Participants can either add to the installation or take their creations home as keepsakes of the celebration.
On the Lantern Festival(February 14), the installation will come alive with sound-reactive blossoms, where light and movement join in celebration. This special event brings a fusion of traditional artistry and contemporary interactivity, symbolising the illumination of new hopes and dreams, as the moonlight guides us toward a fresh start.
Curated by Jiawen Feng (any pronouns), a Chinese-diaspora artist based in Naarm (Melbourne), this activation bridges the timeless beauty of traditional Chinese art forms and innovative contemporary expressions. Drawing from their background as a queer diasporic artist, Jiawen’s work challenges traditional art forms by exploring identity and cultural intersection. Through projects like Blossoms of Renewal, Texture of Absence, and One & Only? 和合而生, Jiawen creates immersive experiences that engage audiences in cross-cultural dialogues, blending movement, interactive technology, and visual art to explore new ways of connection and communication.
Photo credit: =w= & Urban Artistry
Odd to be beings
ODD TO BE BEINGS, BY =w=
link to watch an excerpt ➜ ︎Odd to be beings, is a contemporary dance duet created by =w= and their dance teacher, Coco Li, a significant influence on =w=‘s artistry and growth in their formative years as an artist. The work delves into the intricacy of human connection, and unravels threads of randomness that grow and evolve in our life encounters.Odd to be beings emerged out of =w= and their mother’s duet in their autobiographical piece, "Ode to being", featuring vigorous movement compositions and snippets of live music played from the traditional Chinese instrument Pipa by =w=‘s mother, Wanjun Wu.
Acknowledging and conversing with their past selves, Odd to be beings sees two performers weave, echo, and embody shared emotions and intuitions, drawing upon their deeply internalised thoughts.
Odd to be beings invites audiences on a journey with the performers, reflecting the fluidity of relations and identity, the significance of shared moments, and the perpetual dance between self-discovery and connection.Together =w= and Coco Li navigate the abnormality of existence, examine the intersections of life with other, and contemplate the essence of continuity and change.
Acknowledging and conversing with their past selves, Odd to be beings sees two performers weave, echo, and embody shared emotions and intuitions, drawing upon their deeply internalised thoughts.
Odd to be beings invites audiences on a journey with the performers, reflecting the fluidity of relations and identity, the significance of shared moments, and the perpetual dance between self-discovery and connection.Together =w= and Coco Li navigate the abnormality of existence, examine the intersections of life with other, and contemplate the essence of continuity and change.
Choreographer and performer =w= (Jiawen Feng)
Collaborator and performer Ke Li
Musician Wanjun Wu
Photo by Wendy(=w=) ; Visual Art credit: Lala Shi
Excerpt of an art work(Plants you Need in Lockdown) for THIS OR THAT 2021
Exlporing movement. colour and plants.
Responding to Honest Dance Ads by Cora Hughes and Pat O’Luanaigh, as well as the Victoria’s acute lockdown in late May 2021, this is a collage of movement and still images about trees and plants. Aim to provide momentary ease for dancers and the rest of the world in dealing with the COVID reality.
Art illustration by Lala Shi
INS: @lalas.studio
Full video link: https://youtu.be/veNKSNlsUYc
Exlporing movement. colour and plants.
Responding to Honest Dance Ads by Cora Hughes and Pat O’Luanaigh, as well as the Victoria’s acute lockdown in late May 2021, this is a collage of movement and still images about trees and plants. Aim to provide momentary ease for dancers and the rest of the world in dealing with the COVID reality.
Art illustration by Lala Shi
INS: @lalas.studio
Full video link: https://youtu.be/veNKSNlsUYc