Amid rapid urbanisation and rising expectations for quality of living, the boundaries between architecture, visual art and lighting design are becoming increasingly fluid. Recognising both the opportunities and challenges created by the fragmented operation of these disciplines, the AVA Architects Association – an affiliated chapter of the Vietnam Association of Architects – is set to host the symposium “The Art of Shaping Space: Landscape – Installation – Lighting”, offering a rare interdisciplinary platform for dialogue and exchange.
The symposium is expected to bring together three key dimensions of spatial creation: landscape architecture as the natural and built foundation of space; installation art as a medium of material and conceptual storytelling; and lighting design as a catalyst for emotion and spatial perception. The event will feature speakers from Vietnam and abroad, each representing a distinct field of expertise.
Representing landscape architecture, Swedish architect Lars Landin – who has more than five decades of professional experience – will share his perspective on landscape as the “background score” of living environments. In Sweden, Landin has worked on numerous nationally awarded park projects, heritage sites, churches, monasteries, railway stations and bridges. In Vietnam, where he has spent more than 20 years working and contributing to the built environment, he led the design of several major government projects that received first prizes, including the headquarters of the Ministry of Finance, the State Treasury and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He has also participated in planning and landscape projects for urban developments such as The Manor by Bitexco Group and the Tứ Hiệp urban area. As a foreign architect who has made significant contributions to the quality of urban living spaces in Vietnam, Landin is expected to offer insights into how landscape can create a harmonious dialogue between people and nature.
Providing a complementary and critical perspective to this “foundation”, installation artist Thu Tran will discuss her approach to creating immersive and emotionally resonant spaces through silk, textile and handcrafted materials. Her large-scale works, including Spider Web in Hội An (2019) and Returning in Sơn La (2021), which utilised more than 5,000 metres of silk fabric, demonstrate her ability to transform soft materials into powerful artistic narratives. “Painting alone could never fully satisfy my passion”, she once remarked, reflecting her commitment to spatial and experiential art practices.
Bridging these two disciplines through light is lighting specialist Nguyen Van Huyen, who has worked on projects including the Kuwait International Olympic Stadium as well as lighting schemes for landmark architectural works such as Lotte Lạc Long Quân Tower and Hoàng Văn Thụ Bridge in Hải Phòng. At the symposium, he will explore how lighting goes beyond illumination to “interpret” space, altering perceptions of height, depth, openness and enclosure while awakening emotional layers within the built environment.
The symposium will take place from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Wednesday, 6 May 2026, at the third floor of the Vietnam Association of Architects headquarters, 40 Tăng Bạt Hổ Street, Hanoi.
Through the convergence of architecture, art and lighting, the event is expected to offer new perspectives on the creation of living environments that are not only functional, but also emotionally engaging, aesthetically rich and deeply human-centred in the context of contemporary urban development.
© Vietnam Architecture Magazine
