Frankey draws on local legends and childhood memories for Lucky Dragon installation

Street artist Frankey has created Lucky Dragon, a playful interactive sculpture at the Rosewood hotel in Hong Kong with a light-up heart that aims to "bring joy".

The red dragon, which sits in the lobby of Rosewood Hong Kong, draws on some of the local legends that the artist was told about when visiting the city.

"I heard stories about the dragon that's flying above the Hong Kong sky; it's invisible and protects the city," Frankey told Dezeen.

"With all the dragons, it feels a bit like a fantasy world, like you have when you're a kid," he continued. "That also reminded me of the old Pete's Dragon film, which was one of the first movies that made an impact on me."

Frankey's Lucky Dragon design references the dragon costumes traditionally worn during the Lunar New Year, which are often open at the front with a person carrying the head and others holding its body.

For this sculpture, he made the person inside the dragon an eight-year-old version of himself.

The Lucky Dragon is anchored by 650-kilogram steel feet and a central metal beam, disguised as a branch to give the impression that the boy has created the dragon himself.

The rest of the structure was made from polyurethane-covered foam, which was covered in fibres using electrostatic flocking – a finishing technique that uses an electric field to apply tiny fibres to a surface.

Large stitches keep the different parts of the dragon together, while its tail rests on a skateboard – another reference to a film from the artist's childhood.

"I thought it would be nice if it looked like the boy created the dragon himself, so that he made it out of fabric; that's why you also see the big stitches," Frankey said.

"Underneath the tail is a skateboard, and it's a real skateboard from Back to the Future – they did a reissue of the original Madrid skateboard from the film and that's what's under the tail," he continued.

The childhood version of the artist, who is clad in a suit that references Ghostbusters, was 3D-printed from plastic and has hands made of silicone to feel life-like.

When visitors high-five the young Frankey, the heart at the front of the dragon – which has the Chinese symbol for luck on it – lights up through a sensor in the doll's hand.

"The first thing that I would love to realise with my art is to sparkle up somebody's day, to bring joy," Frankey explained. "So you see this kid asking for a high five, that's the joy element. And as the light shines, it brightens [your day]."

As well as the lobby installation, Frankey also created another version of his eight-year-old self outside of the hotel. This doll sits on a ledge overlooking Victoria Harbour, holding a small toy dragon.

The idea was that the small dragon that's held by the doll outside is still a fantasy, while in the lobby, it's become a life-sized reality.

Frankey also specifically designed the Lucky Dragon installation to be interactive, encouraging people to play around with it.

"An art piece is not fixed, I think it becomes complete when it has interaction with people who see it," he said, noting that he enjoyed showing work in a public domain rather than a gallery or museum.

Rosewood had previously collaborated with Frankey on a project for Rosewood Amsterdam and thought his playful designs would also be suitable for the Hong Kong location.

"Frankey has an intrinsic ability to 'listen' to a place while discovering it," said Rosewood Hong Kong chief design and project services officer Trish Luyckx.

"Such was the case with the Lucky Dragon, which was born from the fabric and soul of Hong Kong itself," she told Dezeen. "We encouraged him to bring his playful perspective and optimism to the piece, creating something that resonates emotionally with guests and reflects the vibrant personality of the city."

Once the dragon leaves Rosewood Hong Kong, it will be taken to Frankey's studio before eventually ending up in a museum.

Other recent playful art installations include Alex Chinneck's undulating Georgian house and a wooden temple designed to be burnt down for a festival in Valencia.

The photography is courtesy of Rosewood Hong Kong.

Lucky Dragon is on show from 23 March to 22 April at Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Visit Dezeen Events Guide for more global architecture exhibitions, events and talks in architecture and design.

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