Press Release
Rhythm Sculpture Installation Series by Zhuoyun Xiao Wins the A' Design Award in Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
Zhuoyun Xiao honored for fine arts and art installation design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Rhythm Sculpture Installation Series by Zhuoyun Xiao has been granted the A' Design Award in the Fine Arts and Art Installation Design category. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
More About Rhythm Sculpture Installation Series
Rhythm is a sculpture installation series that turns dance movements into static forms. The series is made of five cherry wood pieces with heights of 150, 200, 250, 300 and 350 millimetres, and the complete set measures 600 by 800 by 300 millimetres. Black, white and red accents mark points of transition. The wood is cut with precision, hand polished and treated with non-toxic finishes. The varying heights and the set spacing create a visual rhythm. Viewers walk around the work to follow the sequence of movement.
About Zhuoyun Xiao
Zhuoyun Xiao is a Brand Strategist and mid-level faculty member at Nanjing University of the Arts, specializing in cultural creative design, design history, and design management. Her work, "Rhythm," transforms dance into five cherry wood sculptures, capturing clown performance dynamics with exaggerated forms, black, white, and red accents, and strategic spatial arrangements. Xiao blends traditional performance art with contemporary visual expression, creating a striking visual cadence.
Award Record
Zhuoyun Xiao is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award
The A' Fine-Art Design Award is an international fine-art design competition recognizing best fine-art works by leading fine-art artists and creators worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to artists, painters, sculptors and ceramicists from all countries. Entries typically include sculptures, paintings, installations, photographs, drawings and mixed media works. Awarded art designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/fine-art
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://desingers.org/170274
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/170274
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!170274
- Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/368953
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Rhythm Sculpture Installation Series
- Function
- Sculpture Installation Series
- Category
- Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Arts
- Colors
- Black, Light Gray, Gainsboro, Silver and Dark Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Zhuoyun Xiao
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #170274
Credits
- Image Credits
- Images#All: Designer and photographer Zhuoyun Xiao, Rhythm Installation View, 2024.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- "Rhythm" transforms dance movements into five cherry wood sculptures. The series captures clown performance dynamics through exaggerated forms and strategic spatial arrangement. Using black, white, and red color accents, these varying-height sculptures (150-350mm) create visual cadence. The work translates abstract body movements into tangible forms, merging traditional performance art with contemporary visual expression.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the rhythmic movements in dance performances, particularly the exaggerated expressions of clowns. Research focused on transforming dynamic movement into static forms while preserving energetic qualities. The project explores the intersection of traditional performance art and contemporary sculpture, using wood as a medium to capture fluidity and tension in physical space.
- Research
- The research explores grotesque aesthetics in dance movement visualization. It aims to decode rhythmic patterns in clown performances, translating them into visual language. Using deconstruction and reconstruction methods with digital media analysis of body movement trajectories, five cherry wood pieces of varying heights (150-350mm) were created with a black-white-red color scheme. The work dynamizes static elements through exaggerated forms, strong color contrasts, and dramatic arrangements that reinterpret traditional performance art.
- Challenge
- The primary challenge was translating dynamic clown movements into static wooden forms while preserving rhythmic essence. Historical perspectives on grotesque aesthetics required careful integration with contemporary design language. Social perspectives on clown performance interpretation varied widely, necessitating extensive research to identify universal movement patterns. Material limitations of cherry wood demanded precise calculations to achieve proper balance while maintaining visual fluidity across the five-piece sequence. Technical difficulties emerged in achieving gradual height transitions (150-350mm) that conveyed motion.
- Realization and Technology
- Cherry wood crafted through precision cutting and hand-finishing. Five distinct sculptural elements (150-350mm) form a complete set (600×800×300mm). Used deconstruction methodology to translate clown movements into static forms. CMYK color system (C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:100, C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:0, C:0 M:100 Y:100 K:0) applied through specialized wood treatment. Spatial arrangement creates visual rhythm through varying heights and geometric relationships.
- Operation and Interaction
- Viewers circle the installation to discover how each piece captures a distinct dance moment. Varying heights create visual rhythm, guiding the eye through the sequence. Black and red accents mark transition points. The arrangement transforms static forms into perceived motion, engaging viewers in completing the dance sequence mentally. Spatial relationships between pieces amplify the dynamic quality of frozen movement.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project "Rhythm" was created by Zhuoyun Xiao at Nanjing University of the Arts, China, between 2023 and 2024.
- Specifications
- Set dimensions: 600mm×800mm×300mm (complete installation of five pieces) Individual heights: 150mm, 200mm, 250mm, 300mm, 350mm Material: Cherry wood Color system: CMYK (C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:100, C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:0, C:0 M:100 Y:100 K:0) Finish: Hand-polished surface with specialized wood treatments Weight: Approximately 4.5kg for complete set Installation configuration: Sequential arrangement with specified spacing (120mm between pieces) Environmental standards: Non-toxic finishes, sustainable harvested wood.
- Keywords
- Grotesque Aesthetics, Dance Visualization, Cherry Wood Installation, Rhythmic Form, Visual Movement, Clown Performance, Deconstructed Motion, Dynamic Sculpture, Spatial Sequence, Color Contrast
