The Lace | Choi+Shine Architects

The Lace is a 10m x15m illuminated sculpture that was suspended over the Herengracht in Amsterdam, near the Royal Palace. The Lace was installed along with other artworks selected for the 2016 Amsterdam Light Festival. The Lace was designed for the festival’s theme of "The City of Amsterdam." Lace has a long history in Dutch culture and art, and the form of The Lace was created to be reminiscent of traditional Dutch bonnets. The Lace was intended to be viewed from the canal boat tours which will pass beneath the Lace and from the nearby streets including the Raadhuisstraat bridge.

The Lace consists of 18 central panels and a uniform border, crocheted by hand in classical Dutch patterns using traditional methods. The Lace requires 33,000m (20.5 miles) of cord and weighs about 400kg. The Lace was designed by Jin Choi and Thomas Shine who fabricated and oversaw the installation of the sculpture. 

Project Details
This project creates a unique sense of place with an intricate, calm and simple object. Seeing this glowing lace, mysteriously hovering above the dark water, creates an unforgettable experience. A familiar object shown in a drastically larger scale creates a sense of surprise contributing to the memory of the space. The Lace forms an enclosure reminiscent of traditional Dutch bonnets. The folded flaps gesture a welcome, contributing to a sense of lightness as the
revealed edges make the thin planar layers more visible, while the porous, woven surface creates enchanting patterns of light against the sky, water and the city. The Lace symbolically weaves different people and cultures, different urban textures and the past with the future of Amsterdam. Lace is used as an embellishment, a special celebration and a little bit of luxury. The Lace is delicate, and inherently soft and feminine creating visual poetry while celebrating the light festival and the cultural richness of Amsterdam. The Lace symbolizes the densely woven city of Amsterdam: weaving of different people, woven urban structure (canals, rivers, squares and roads) and a weaving of the historic city with the new Amsterdam of the future. The form of The Lace in reminiscent of traditional Dutch bonnets and the futuristic idea of hovering, implying the city flight into the future. The Lace is designed for sequential viewing by boat, with a prelude, climax and finale as a consecutive experience in a controlled linear movement, and utilizes the water’s reflection to define space. The Herengracht was the selected site, enabling The Lace to be calmly glowing without glare. This intimate, residential neighborhood allows for quiet, poetic contemplation of The Lace.

Structural Study: Suspension System
The Lace is woven in the pattern of traditional lace, but uses a 5.0mm UV protected solid core double braided polyester cord suspended with Dyneema and polyester cables. The cables fasten to four structural columns holding The Lace in tension. The Lace itself acts as a tensile structure. The Lace is a lightweight structure, weatherproof and very strong, capable of supporting ice loads. The Lace weighs about 3kg per square meter, but varies depending on the tightness of each panel’s pattern. The Lace was designed for simple installation, and is composed of 18 rectangular and 32 triangular panels, which are joined at ground level at the site. Once assembled, The Lace is hoisted up to the suspending cables until rigidly held in place. Multiple panels are shipped as pre-joined rolls. Each panel is illuminated by multiple light sources, which shine on the top and underside of the Lace creating an even glow. The Lace is experienced from below and above, appearing as a mysteriously glowing, woven three dimensional form flying over the canal which reflects its overlapping, intricate patterns. While traveling along the canal, The Lace is experienced sequentially, first as a distant sheet of light with its mirrored image below. More closely, The Lace’s patterns become visible. Once under The Lace, the viewer arrives at a space with a high ceiling, seemingly enclosed, yet with the night sky visible through the glowing structure. Soon, The Lace slopes down, almost touchable by the viewer. As the viewer enjoys The Lace in detail, it gently lifts away, releasing the viewer. One thread of The Lace follows the viewer, tempting them to look back, before disappearing into the dark horizon.