The Red Strings

From September 29 (Moon Festival), 2023, to February 28 (end of Spring Festival), 2024, visitors can enjoy the interactive public art project at the Margaret I Carman Green-Weeping Beech Park, which houses the Queens Historical Society and is on the landmark Green Trial. The exhibition is family-friendly and free to the public.

“The Red Strings” is an art installation inspired by the Chinese knot, a type of Eastern folk art consisting of distinctive patterns that symbolize unity and love. The installation integrates a series of physical banners with short animations using an Augmented Reality (AR) application on mobile devices. Viewers are advised to scan the AR codes on the banners with smartphone cameras in order to watch the animations, which reinterpret Chinese folktales or traditional operas to reflect the modern Asian-American identity. As an art project, “The Red String” calls for unity and dialogue across the cultural and ethnic boundaries within the social spectrum.

“The Red String” was created by Asian immigrant artist collaborative Lily & Honglei, and made possible by the support from More Art, NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor, and the New York State Legislature, Queens Council on the Arts, and Flushing Town Hall. The art project is a collaboration with NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, as well as the augmented reality platform My Web AR.