Mark Fisher was a student at the AA in 1960s London when he started experimenting with inflatable structures. This somewhat unassuming beginning took him on a journey that included making pneumatic structures for Pink Floyd and eventually designing sets for everyone from Madonna and Lady Gaga to Metallica and AC/DC.
Images courtesy Stufish
Fisher and his London-based firm Stufish have been relatively unrecognized in the architecture community — until recently, with the completion of two real-life buildings that transform their entertainment-industry pedigree into permanent spectacle. The Han Show Theater in Wuhan, China, is a performance arts center complete with a glowing façade.
The design takes some of the principles of Stufish’s other work and makes them slightly more traditionally architectural. Inspired by Chinese lanterns, the building is a series of steel rings that intersect to mimic the bamboo structure of a paper lantern. Thousands of red LEDs give off a glowing effect on the concave surface. The façade can also display videos, making it come alive. Traditional Chinese roof forms are referenced as the bottom edge of the lantern form is offset.
Inside, the theater space is customizable — the 2,000 seats can be reconfigured to reveal a performance pool. The Han Show Theater will house Italian director Franco Dragone‘s ‘The Han Show’ and is accompanied by the nearby Wanda Movie Park, also designed by Stufish. Given its eye-catching exterior, we can only wonder what the locals think.