An Awesome Floating Lantern, Made From 7,000 Plastic Bottles

  1. Mark Byrnes

The recyclable orb will float in a pool in Hong Kong and will mimic the phases of the moon.

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.

The sculpture containing 7,000 recycled plastic water bottles with LED lights, measuring 65.5 feet in diameter and 33 feet in height, shines at Hong Kong's Victoria Park September 14, 2013. (REUTERS/Bobby Yip)
(REUTERS/Bobby Yip)
A mother and her daughter look inside "Rising Moon" at Hong Kong's Victoria Park September 14, 2013. (REUTERS/Bobby Yip)
Recycled plastic water bottles which form part of the "Rising Moon" sculpture at Victoria Park September 10, 2013. (REUTERS/Bobby Yip)
A worker stands on top of the sculpture containing 7,000 recycled plastic water bottles. September 10, 2013. (REUTERS/Bobby Yip) 
A worker builds "Rising Moon," the sculpture containing 7,000 recycled plastic water bottles with LED lights at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, September 10, 2013. (REUTERS/Bobby Yip)
A worker builds "Rising Moon" at Hong Kong's Victoria Park September 10, 2013. (REUTERS/Bobby Yip)

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