Paul Boulding - Xi'an Tree

Xi'an Tree — Opening Show Design

For over a year, I collaborated with Territory Studio to develop the opening show for a landmark mixed-use retail and property development in Xi’an, China.

Heatherwick Studio’s visionary design for the district features a remarkable new public space, with its outdoor streets converging at a central plaza dominated by the Xi’an Tree—a towering 60m vertical park which becomes the protagonist of our show and our canvas, presenting a unique blend of creative opportunity and technical complexity.

Working closely with our Chinese client, we crafted an immersive show rich with cultural and symbolic references. The experience seamlessly integrated light, projection, haze, lasers, drones, and sound to bring three crafted acts to life.

The Xi’an Tree’s intricate structure of uniquely shaped leaves challenged us to create one of the most complex projection mapping projects in the world.

Our team delivered a series of crafted moments, enhanced by a cinematic musical score composed specifically for the show.

On December 8th, 2024, the opening show debuted to over 400 VIPs and government officials. Due to its success, the show was then extended for an additional week, drawing over 1 million visitors to the district—a rewarding conclusion to one of the most complex and fulfilling projects of my career.

Show Narrative

Culture: A Journey Through the Silk Road

The first chapter of our narrative, CULTURE, weaves a compelling visual connection between the Silk Road and the tree’s location in Xi'an—symbolically marking the Silk Road's eastern terminus and home to the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties.

Faced with the task of encapsulating 1500 years of history and a network of roads and trails spanning continents, we crafted an abstract visual tapestry. This tapestry celebrated the pathways and traded treasures of the Silk Road—Silk, Porcelain, Jade, and Spice—unfolding in a dynamic sequence that grew up and around the tree, forming the introduction to the show.

Material Development:

To bring the narrative to life, we created a series of material palettes that seamlessly wove into one another, forming an ever-evolving canvas that would climbed and wrap around the tree. Using Houdini as our primary tool, we achieved the scale and flexibility needed to craft the intricate fluid like material transitions. This approach ensured each moment felt cohesive and harmonised, blending texture, color, and form into a unified visual experience.

Nature: A journey through the four seasons, nature's own story

The second act invited the audience on an immersive journey through the unfolding beauty of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each moment captured the essence of seasonal transitions, celebrating the rhythms of nature and evoking experiences deeply tied to the changing landscapes. From blossoming life to golden Ginko, the act transformed the tree into a the timeless cycle of the seasons.

Spring Blossom: Art Direction and material development

Summer Kites + Silk: Art Direction and material development

Autumn Ginko Leaves: Art Direction and material development

Winter Ice: Art Direction and material development

Future: Interconnectedness

The third act was designed to bring a sense of interconnected intelligence to the tree, using point cloud data, fibrous networks and heavy use of laser. Our ambition was to leave the tree as a future facing beacon of Xi'an, one that connects people, place and culture together.