Tree of Hope, Ruihong Tiandi

Shanghai’s Ruihong Tiandi has transformed their outdoor spaces with incredible interactive lighting installations from MK Illumination China over the years, and in 2018, they presented something brand new: the “Tree of Hope”.

Standing nearly 8-meters high, the tree’s white powder-coated branches were filled with warm white light and 1,000 cranes made from recycled PET bottles to resemble “orizuru” or folded paper cranes, one of the most classic of all Japanese origami forms.

As visitors approached the tree, paper cranes in the branches facing the visitor began to light up and change color. The sound of a heartbeat throbbing in the boughs draws visitors’ eyes up to the interactive scene, and as they walk around the tree, more cranes are brought to life with color and song.

The tree combines intelligent induction (the tree and cranes can “sense” the behavior of visitors) and intimate interaction (as visitors move around the tree, the cranes begin to sing and the lights in the cranes change color), and the result is a multi-sensory experience that not only gives makes shoppers happy, but also gives them a refuge from the world outside, allowing them spend a short time experiencing something magical.