On Blank Pages. Xi´an Original

https://www.luzinterruptus.com/?p=24717

In December 2025, we presented our installation "On Blank Pages in Xi’an, China, as part of the first edition of the Chang’an International Light Festival, curated by WAVELENGTH and hosted at Xi’an MixC.

The piece is located at the main entrance of the site, beneath a pedestrian bridge, facing the architectural feature known as the “Tree of Life.” Within this urban context, the installation takes the form of a monumental circular structure, 10 meters in diameter and 4 meters high, entirely covered with thousands of notebooks and illuminated from within. The work functions as a wall of light and words: a collective surface where the public can write, read, and transform the piece through their own contributions.

The surrounding space is defined by a contemporary, futuristic architecture, characterized by large scales, metallic surfaces, and technological reflections. Against this backdrop, the installation introduces a humble and everyday material: paper. The delicacy of the notebooks, their fragility, and their manual quality establish a dialogue with the solidity of the environment. In this contrast, the work finds its meaning: vulnerability and intimacy emerge within a landscape dominated by monumentality.

Being located in a covered space intensifies the visual experience. The light emerging from the interior of the structure becomes more concentrated, acquiring an almost physical presence. The ceiling of the bridge, with its reflective surfaces, acts as a suspended mirror that duplicates the installation. The illuminated pages are reflected above, multiplying the image of the notebooks and expanding the presence of the work. Overhead, paper and light form a kind of expanded chamber, where the installation seems to extend beyond its own structure.

Public participation unfolds in a continuous and open way. Visitors stop, read the messages left by others, and add their own words. Over time, the interventions accumulate, and the surface of the work becomes denser, more complex, and more human. Each written page leaves a visible trace, transforming the installation into a collective archive in constant construction.

Throughout this extended period, the work evolves organically: the movement of the pages, the inner light, and the constant interaction of the public turn the structure into a living organism, always changing, always growing. The piece is not a closed object, but a process—a space for encounter, memory, and shared expression.

"On Blank Pages" is a project we have carried out in different cities and contexts around the world. The Xi’an version stands out for its scale, its duration, the intensity of public participation, and the dialogue between the fragility of paper and the architectural power of its surroundings. In this context, thousands of ordinary pages together acquire an extraordinary dimension.

Time of installation: 2 days.
Damages: none.
Exhibition time: approximately 2 months.