Art dome pavilion mimics sunlight on the water
The Art Dome Pavilion by Korean-German designer Hyunje Joo rises from the sands of Maengbang Beach in Samcheok, South Korea, as a transparent arc that flickers with movement and light. Commissioned by the Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation, the pavilion is an ephemeral installation which takes shape as a structural gesture, comprising 8,000 acrylic pixels that shift and shimmer with the coastal breeze.
8,000 transparent pixels reflect light and wind on Maengbang Beach | images © Min, Jaeho Jeon
hyunje joo’s Responsive Skin on the Shore
Located along the eastern coastline in Gangwon-do, artist Hyunje Joo’s Art Dome Pavilion responds directly to its environment. Each transparent pixel is layered by hand and catches sunlight and sea breeze to create a surface that feels in motion even when still. As daylight shifts, the refractions on the dome’s surface alternate between barely-there glints and saturated waves of color, reflecting the beach’s changing light conditions.
Visitors approaching the Art Dome Pavilion encounter a tactile boundary between land and sky, where the layered material refracts the surrounding scene. The sense of enclosure is delicate — more optical than physical — and the effect is quietly immersive. From inside the dome, the surrounding landscape dissolves into luminous fragments.
the installation captures the sunset and dusk as light is held within its shimmering pixels
pixelated Material Logic and Assembly
Hyunje Joo’s use of repetition and transparency forms the conceptual and structural basis for the Art Dome Pavilion. The 8,000 stacked components create a continuous, curved surface without relying on traditional cladding or framing systems. Instead, the installation depends on massing and careful alignment, allowing the material itself to define both structure and experience.
Rather than attempting to dominate the coastline, the pavilion exists in dialogue with its surroundings. Its curved footprint traces a subtle arc along the beach, framing views while remaining partially translucent. The shape encourages visitors to circle, enter, and dwell, offering varied perspectives that shift with each step.
the coastline is transformed into a living canvas
While the pavilion’s geometry remains fixed, its appearance is always changing. This mutability reinforces its symbolic role as a gathering point for personal aspirations. According to the client, the Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation, the installation reflects a broader hope: that visitors’ dreams and desires will shimmer through, each distinct in color and tone, much like the shifting pixels themselves.
Though minimal in palette and form, the Art Dome Pavilion delivers a reflective and porous spatial experience that’s at once open and enclosed. Hyunje Joo’s design invites repeated encounters, where the viewer’s position, the wind, and the weather all shape what the experience becomes.
as the sun sets, the pavilion glows with the sky’s changing palette
the colorful patterns ripple and shift with the breeze, mirroring the movement of light and air
as sunlight filters through the iridescent pixels, it casts vivid, mosaic-like shadows on the sand
project info:
name: Art dome Pavilion
designer: Hyunje Joo | @hyunjejoo
location: Maengbang Beach, Geundeok-myeon, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
client: Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation
completion: 2025
photography: © Min, Jaeho Jeon
project team: Donghwan Kim, Wooseok Jo, Seungmin Lee, Jaeho Jeon, Junsik Eom, Wonhyeok Lee, Jimin Kim, Gwanghee Lim, Gayeon Park, Juhyo Lee, Irum Song, Chewon Lee, Donggeun Kwon, Horim Jeon, Eunbi Kim, Dayu Jeong (student at Kangwon National University)
manufacturer: HAUS culture (Hogi Kim)
finish material: PE (hologram pixel)
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