Lee Yang Yang

Words by Sandy Anghie. Photography by Nicholas Putrasia, Iwan Isnin & Lee Yang Yang. This story was originally published in The Architect magazine, an official publication of the Australian Institute of Architects.

The work of architects is broad. For many when they think of architecture, they will think of home design. Others will think of public and commercial buildings. Every architect is different. Some tend towards writing, while others involve themselves in artistic pursuits. I tend towards the former, while Lee Yang Yang tends towards the latter. Yang Yang graduated in 2013 and has spent the past decade working with award-winning architect Philip Stejskal Architecture on residential projects. He has now made the move to international design practice Mode Design where the focus is on public and commercial work. Throughout his career to date, Yang Yang has also taught at universities, including Notre Dame and as well as currently at Curtin University. “I enjoy helping students work out what drives them,” said Yang Yang. “That may be the social agendas of architecture, aesthetics or even the construction side of architecture. Diversity is richness.”

Yang Yang graduated in 2013 and has spent the past decade working with award winning architect Philip Stejskal Architecture on residential projects. He has now made the move to international design practice Mode Design where the focus is on public and commercial work. Through out his career to date, Yang Yang has also taught at universities, including Notre Dame and as well as currently at Curtin University. “I enjoy helping students work out what drives them,” said Yang Yang. “That may be the social agendas of architecture, aesthetics or even the construction side of architecture. Diversity is richness.

For Yang Yang, diversity is key to his architecture career, engaging in many architecture competitions and creating art works. Yang Yang’s 2022 submission for Sculpture by the Sea was motivated by the opportunity to interact with the public. While he loved working on homes for his clients, the private nature of these projects meant the public rarely had the opportunity to interact with his work. “People mostly see art as something that is visual,” said Yang Yang. “But art can be spatial–such asthe experience of walking through and around it.”

The idea behind his piece, named Ephemeral Lookout, was the notion of light house as a lookout. “While a lighthouse has a very specific purpose, designed to emit light and to serve as a beacon,most people visit it as a lookout,” said Yang Yang. “The lighthouse becomes a spatial experience as people look up, climb around the stairs before reaching the top to view out.”

The creation of this temporary sculpture was a collaboration with his friend Khiem who is a scaffolder. Both funded and built the project on their own. “I don’t have a background in construction. My only experience on site is as a project architect,” said Yang Yang. “This project was very different for me but I really enjoyed it. It was like working with Lego on a large scale.”

The only challenge in delivering the project was in relation to the footings required to anchor the sculpture on the beach. Yang Yang notes that other than these footings, the temporary sculpture was completely reusable. The scaffolding and canvas both went back to their usual use.

Yang Yang is always on the lookout for more of these opportunities. Perhaps working with another trade. “I love the interactive nature of Sculpture by the Sea,” said Yang Yang. “Yes, there are some ‘don’t touch’ signs but generally the exhibition is interactive. I loved seeing people engaging with my work.”