Vincent Leroy’s kinetic sculpture evokes cosmic molecular cloud
Installed in front of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Molecular Cloud is a kinetic sculpture by French artist Vincent Leroy. The work draws inspiration from cosmic molecular formations, translating them into a floating, cloud-like structure suspended within the urban setting. The piece is part of DDP Design & Art in Seoul, whose 2025 edition explores the theme of movement.
The installation consists of large mirrored spheres tinted in glossy pink. These elements reflect the surrounding environment, sky, buildings, and passersby, creating a constantly shifting interplay of light and form. Slowly, the spheres move in relation to one another, generating fluid and changing compositions. The motion suggests organic breathing, achieved through a calibrated balance between geometric structure and mechanical precision.
all images by Vcollective – Shirley Xie, Titi Lee
Moving mirrored pink spheres capture Seoul’s changing light
Positioned against the backdrop of Zaha Hadid’s DDP, Molecular Cloud establishes a dialogue with the building’s flowing, metallic architecture. The contrast between the static structure and the moving sculpture highlights different approaches to material, form, and reflection. Together, they produce an environment where light, shadow, and surface interact in continuous variation.
The project was originally conceived by the artist in Paris and first presented in California at the Coachella Festival in 2023. For its installation in Seoul, it was fabricated in Guangzhou and realized through collaboration with a Hong Kong–based production agency, underlining its international scope. By combining reflective material, kinetic engineering, and spatial placement, Vincent Leroy’s Molecular Cloud explores the intersection of sculpture, architecture, and environment. Its slow movements invite observation and pause within the pace of the city, encouraging an experience of space defined as much by stillness as by motion.
Vincent Leroy’s kinetic sculpture evokes cosmic molecular formations
glossy pink mirrored spheres form the floating cloud-like structure
the installation reflects sky, city, and passersby in shifting patterns
Molecular Cloud’s poles mirror the building’s traffic people axes
spheres hover lightly against Zaha Hadid’s metallic architecture
movement suggests a rhythmic breathing within the urban setting
Molecular Cloud explores stillness, movement, and spatial perception
slow motion transforms the spheres into fluid, organic compositions
Molecular Cloud installed in front of Seoul’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza
project info:
name: Molecular Cloud
designer: Vincent Leroy | @vincent_leroy_studio
location: Seoul, Korea
host: DDP Design & Art in Seoul | @ddp_seoul
curator: Minsoo Kim – Seoul Design Foundation | @seoul_design_foundation
production: Vcollective – Shirley Xie | @vcollective_ltd
China exhibition agency: DesignNuha
photography and video: Vcollective – Shirley Xie | @vcollective_ltd, Titi Lee | @Seoul_4K
music video: Emile Kôji | @emile.koji
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom
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