KRAKEN: Giant Octopus Playground in Shenzhen

13 May 2017 in ARTS & CULTURE, FUN

Love it or hate it, it’s still amusing to think about the time when artist Florentijn Hofman’s giant yellow piece, Rubber Duck arrived in Hong Kong in 2013, floating right there in the middle of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. ;) I’m a huge fan of the work and found it very funny to see something I think of as a children’s bath toy floating on Hong Kong’s harbour with the iconic skyline view in the background.

Photo Credit: Florentijn Hofman

So, when I received news about Hofman’s newest work, a giant octopus playground titled Kraken in my email, I wanted to share about it here! It’s not located in Hong Kong, but next door in Shenzhen, China. Unlike Rubber Duck, Kraken is not a travelling display, but a permanent work. Read on for more details!

[All images related to Kraken are provided courtesy of UAP.]

City Girl City Stories: Kraken by Florentijn Hofman

Photo Credit: Charlie Xia

Looking at some of the images, it seems that the different octopus tentacles contain playground slides, climbing ropes and stairs for walking (zoom in on the picture above). The octopus head is an additional play area. I love how creative and fun this looks, and if I’m visiting Shenzhen in future, this is perfect for pretending to be a kid again! ;)

Photo Credit: Charlie Xia

Kraken (2017) is by artist Florentijn Hofman in collaboration with UAP Studio. The playground/work is located in Vanke One City, a mixed-use development in the Yantian District of Shenzhen, China. You can read more about the work and see more pictures here.