CREAM OF THE CROP

Don’t know where to start? Here are the highlights for design and art aficionados.

DAZZLING DESIGN

The grand atrium evokes the dizzying sensation of a galaxy whirling with stars. The Gold Ball, visually reminiscent of a planet with its latticework of V-cut glass panels, houses a creative space for exhibitions and pop-ups. The Escalating Climbers by Hong Kong design firm LAAB are wrought out of steel and add a sculptural, organic element to the space. Lighting it all are 1,800 glass bulbs designed by UK lighting firm Speirs & Major to pulse and glow in different patterns throughout the day, mimicking the spontaneous sparkle of real stars.

MODERN ART MASTERPIECES

Sprinkled throughout the mall are modern artworks that are more delightful because of their unexpectedness. Untitled by Katharina Gross (above), hewn out of rainbow-coloured glass fibre, seems doubly striking next to the clean lines of Rem Koolhas’ cuboid coffee kiosk. The thought-provoking Kastenmann Black by Erwin Wurm invites you to ponder societal conventions while Parrots of Five Colours by artist Zhang Enli will take you back to your childhood, with surrounds painted in bright colours and copper birds on a rotating carousel.

CULTURAL RICHES

The Experience Chamber on Level 1 is set aside for exhibitions, workshops and live demonstrations of rare and specialised arts – like cheongsam-making or guangcai porcelain painting. Level 4 houses the K11 Art House with 12 theatres for interactive performances and cinema screenings. On Level 5 is L’Ecole (above), a jewellery school supported by Van Cleef & Arpels. Only the second outpost after Paris, the institution hosts talks, curates exhibitions and offers courses on gemology, and classes in jewellery design.