Threads of Light – ZhuLuo Gateway

his project, Threads of Light – ZhuLuo Gateway, is the welcoming installation for the 2026 Taiwan Lantern Festival, located at the plaza in front of the Chiayi County Government, serving as the first cultural threshold before visitors enter the main festival grounds.Rather than responding to the idea of a gateway through a traditional paifang-style arch, the designer reimagines the entrance as the “genkan” of a home, allowing visitors to sense the city’s hospitality and character even before stepping into the lantern exhibition area.

The overall concept takes Chiayi’s historical name, “ZhuLuo,” as its point of origin, integrating the imagery of “woven light and shadow” inspired by bamboo weaving craftsmanship, while incorporating local cultural symbols such as the old city gate, forestry heritage, salt field landscapes, and railway memories.

The most distinctive feature of this project lies in transforming the act of “welcoming” from visual observation into spatial immersion. Conventional gateways often rely on frontal compositions to establish a visual focal point, encouraging visitors to stop, take photographs, and remain at a distance from the structure.