Mark Byrnes
Mark Byrnes is a senior associate editor at CityLab who writes about design and architecture.
In Honk Kong, four local designers have built a giant lantern of recycled plastic bottles and LED lights.
The giant ball of light is meant to celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival on September 19. Titled "Rising Moon," the illuminated sculpture measures 65.5 feet by 33 feet and sits on a pool of water in Victoria Park. It symbolizes conservation and vitality.
Mid-Autumn Festival, popular in China and Vietnam, celebrates the autumn full moon harvest. It has been celebrated since the Shang Dynasty (16th to 10th century BCE), and gained popularity during the Tang Dynasty much later (618-907 CE). The lantern's placement on the water allows the lighting effects to create a reflection that replicates different lunar phases. Once the festival is over, it'll be disassembled and the bottles will be recycled.