Chong‐Art Photography
Steven Chilton Architects recently completed a new theater in Guangzhou, China, that draws inspiration from tattoo art. This is not represented in the mundane "Steve loves Lucy forever" type of ink, but instead a stunning bright red facade that depicts a phoenix, cranes, cockerels and other birds.
Named the Sunac Guangzhou Grand Theatre, the project also draws inspiration from silk by way of the area's historic connection to the Silk Road. Structurally, the facade comprises thousands of perforated aluminum panels which are supported by a series of steel tubes connected to a concrete superstructure supporting the theater floors. The facade detailing, meanwhile, was influenced by the local myth "100 Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix."