Burberry at Taiping Lake, Xintiandi — Thomas Burberry Bear at Taiping Lake (2018)

Xintiandi's Taiping Lake hosted a Thomas Burberry Bear installation, placing the character in the lakeside public realm.

The venue

Taiping Lake is an artificial lake at the centre of Shanghai's Xintiandi district, in Huangpu. It sits within a pedestrian area of lanes, plazas, retail frontages and restaurants, with the water acting as an open-air focal point. Surrounding walkways and low edges let passers-by circulate around the lake, pause at the water, and use the space for informal leisure.

How the space was used

For this project, the bear was installed at the lakeside, where it could be seen from the surrounding walkways. The intervention did not enclose the site; it added a single large character to the existing public route, so visitors encountered it while moving through Xintiandi. The lake remained open, with the installation acting as a temporary landmark rather than a contained exhibition.

Why it works here

Taiping Lake suits temporary character installations because it is an open public plaza with pedestrian movement and clear sightlines across the water. A single object can be read from several approach routes, and the surrounding retail and dining keep people in the area long enough to stop and look.