In a conversation with Mr. Nguyen Thuong Quan, Deputy General Director and Chief Architect of Flamingo Group, these layers of thinking were revealed with a profound perspective: art is not only present through sculptures, paintings or installations, but also permeates the shapes, symbols and stories that each project tells.
Q: Flamingo Holdings is known as one of the few corporations that considers art as a consistent component in architecture, landscape and resort experience. Why did Flamingo choose to pursue art in its development journey?
Mr. Nguyen Thuong Quan, Deputy General Director and Chief Architect of Flamingo Group : For Flamingo, art has never been the final finishing layer or an additional decorative element for a project. We consider art as a language to express the group's core development philosophy.
In fact, art is present in everyone’s daily life. A photo we take of a favorite moment, a melody that moves us, or the way light reflects into a space and changes our mood – all are art. It is not strange, not sublime; it is a natural part of human emotions and experiences. In Flamingo’s resort spaces, we highlight it more so that art is present and felt more clearly, with direction and depth.
Flamingo pursues art because we believe that a space is only truly “alive” when it has the ability to evoke emotions. Beautiful architecture is not enough to look at. A resort space needs to create stillness, vibration, and peace.
From the very first days of building Flamingo Dai Lai Resort, we determined that Flamingo would not only build a pure resort but also create an artistic ecosystem where every detail in architecture, landscape and activities could nurture human emotions. Art therefore became the “DNA” that guided the entire way we think about architecture, landscape, planning and services. It is not an auxiliary element, but the foundation for Flamingo to create its own difference.
I often say that a building can be big or small, luxurious or simple, but if it does not create emotions, it cannot be called a complete living space. Art is what gives the building a soul, gives the landscape rhythm, and makes the human experience more complete.
Q: So in practice, how does Flamingo incorporate art into architecture, landscape and experience? People often see sculptures or paintings on display, but surely there are more layers to art than that?
Mr. Nguyen Thuong Quan : That's right. The art in the Flamingo space has two layers. The first layer is what is easiest to observe and name: sculptures, paintings, installations placed in landscapes or buildings, art performances, music shows, etc. This is the visual art layer, creating highlights and guiding the vision, making visitors immediately realize that they are entering a different space.
The second layer of art is the art hidden in the language of shapes, proportions, symbols, the way the architecture tells its own story. At Flamingo Cat Ba Resorts, we do not place many sculptures or paintings, but art is present in every detail of the building: the column system in the reception hall is shaped like giant tree floors with a stylized ceiling shaped like sun rays, the wall behind the reception desk is a very large sun because the building is named The Sun, we have a Cloud Bridge connecting 3 buildings of the resort or an S-shaped swimming pool following the terrain of the project area. That is art expressed through the language of symbols, through shapes, the art of "storytelling through architecture".
At Flamingo Heritage Onsen & Resort, art is expressed through the architectural language imbued with the breath of indigenous culture. We developed the hotel based on inspiration from the Tay people's stilt houses, incorporating brocade motifs into the decoration and even bringing patterns to the roof as a way to preserve and recreate the cultural spirit here in the form of contemporary architecture. Even the cluster of lights in the lobby is not a random decorative detail. They are inspired by the image of clouds wrapping around the mountain slopes - a very familiar scene to the people of Tuyen Quang . When bringing that image into the interior space, we want to honor the beauty of the locality and create a natural connection between the building and the indigenous landscape.
Question: When mentioning Flamingo Dai Lai Resort, many people believe that this is where art is most vividly and clearly present in the Flamingo ecosystem. Can you share specifically how Flamingo has brought art into the natural space in Dai Lai?
Mr. Nguyen Thuong Quan: Flamingo Dai Lai Resort is the first project of the group and is also the project that we devote all our efforts to expressing the philosophy of "Architecture - Art - Nature". The first thing I want to say is that at Flamingo Dai Lai, art does not stand alone. It is calculated to be included in the landscape right from the planning stage.
The landscape of Dai Lai is a large-scale artistic problem. We retain the natural hills, create water surfaces by digging out low-lying areas and bringing water from the lake in, then use the excavated soil to build new landscape hills. The natural landscape is supported, enriched, and transformed into a spatial composition with depth.
The interesting thing is that the resort is hundreds of hectares wide but does not create a feeling of vastness and inaccessibility. That is thanks to the "virtual space limits" formed by low hills, trees and water. People moving in that area feel spacious, private, airy and close. That is the art of space, something that not every project is lucky enough to possess.
In that space, the artwork is placed at points that have been carefully studied for light, visibility and space. A work of art needs space to “live”. A large sculpture needs a large space to shine and we reserve a position on a grassy hill.
On the contrary, a small work of art needs a space that is “cozy” enough so that it does not look out of place. No matter how beautiful a colorful work of art is, if placed near a flower garden, it will easily be “swallowed up”, so a more suitable location must be found. That is the art of installation.
A special highlight of Flamingo Dai Lai Resort is the art experience route from the entrance to the reception hall and along the path along the resort to the art museum in the pine forest. Each section of the path is a work of art, a new perspective, a different story. Visitors not only walk in nature, but also walk in a symphony of art.
Dai Lai has become a convergence of architecture, nature and art. And I think that is why everyone who comes here feels something very “unique” that is difficult to describe in words.
Question: In the new development phase, how will Flamingo continue to invest and implement art, especially in new projects? It is known that the group is implementing a high-end project in Thai Nguyen ?
Mr. Nguyen Thuong Quan: Art in the Forest is an art project initiated by Flamingo in 2015 at Flamingo Dai Lai Resort and this year marks the 10th anniversary of the art journey in the forest.
On this special occasion, Flamingo Museum of Contemporary Art welcomed 8 new sculptures by 8 representative artists in Vietnamese contemporary art.
In the coming years, we will continue to expand our collection, organize new creative seasons and especially focus on developing art tours, in order to nurture and build a public class of art lovers in Vietnam.
We also plan to expand Art in the Forest to new lands outside Dai Lai. At the same time, Flamingo will continue to invest in artistic activities: exhibitions, music performances, etc. so that the Group's resorts are not only beautiful in form but also "live" by cultural life.
In Thai Nguyen, we are implementing Flamingo Maison 108 Ho Nui Coc with the positioning of the most high-end project in the Flamingo ecosystem, while aiming to become the leading multi-experience resort complex in the region.
The project is also a big step forward for Flamingo in making art a structure of space, not just the final finishing touch. Nui Coc Lake has a water surface area of up to 2,500 hectares, surrounded by mountains and forests, creating a nearly pristine natural landscape. This is the ideal foundation for Flamingo to create an art-resort complex of unprecedented scale.
Question: Honoring local cultural values is an easily recognizable element in the architectural language of the projects that Flamingo has implemented. With Flamingo Maison 108 Ho Nui Coc, located in the land known as “The First Famous Tea”, how will the architect exploit and transform the spirit of tea culture in the design of the project?
Mr. Nguyen Thuong Quan: At Flamingo Maison 108 Ho Nui Coc, we develop three art islands like three "chapters" of an architectural symphony, each island has its own story but together leads to a resort experience associated with nature and indigenous culture.
The Moon is oriented to become a contemporary art island, with a scale of nearly 1.5 hectares. From above, the island looks like a camellia blooming in the middle of the lake. This shape is not only a visual highlight, but also a way for us to honor the elegant and sophisticated spirit of Thai Nguyen tea culture. We also calculate suitable locations to place contemporary artworks in this space, as we did with Art in the Forest in Dai Lai.
Another island developed around the theme of tea culture is The Sun, where we arrange the Tea Gallery with an open space and design inspired by tea leaves. Tea beds are recreated in the landscape along with an experience space related to the process of tea care - tea picking - tea tasting. These elements create an "open museum" of tea art, allowing visitors to fully feel the story of tea trees that have created the brand of the land.
The third island - The Eclipse - is positioned as a comprehensive health care space. Here, Maison Wellness Center is a highlight with strong artistic features, expressed in both architecture, landscape and the experience that visitors feel. The project is inspired by the tea beds on the hillside, so the overall design is in a characteristic layered structure. Stepping inside, the space opens up with a high and airy lobby, where the pillars are shaped like large tree trunks of the mountains and forests.
The 108 villas at Flamingo Maison 108 are designed as works of art, following the mountain and all have a wide view of the lake. We chose dark tones and added a lot of greenery. This is the art of architectural arrangement, so that the project blends into the landscape of mountains, forests, lakes and islands, becoming a part of nature.
With Flamingo Maison 108 Ho Nui Coc, we not only create a resort complex, but also build an artistic ecosystem associated with the spirit of the land of "The First Tea". Each project, each line, each material becomes a part of the indigenous cultural story told in the language of contemporary architecture. We believe that when art, nature and culture blend, this place will become a different destination - a place of refuge bearing the mark of Thai Nguyen but elevated with the new inspiration of Flamingo.
Thank you!
Source: https://nhandan.vn/kien-truc-su-truong-flamingo-mot-cong-trinh-chi-thuc-su-song-khi-no-tao-ra-cam-xuc-post926380.html
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