Sun Dayong

b. 1984 Beijing, China; lives and works in Beijing, China

Be a BatMan, 2020

PVC film, carbon fiber supports with embedded wires for UV light

Sun Dayong, founding partner of the internationally acclaimed architectural firm, Penda, works in the Beijing studio while partner Chris Precht is based in the Austrian Alps. Dayong writes that as bats might be a source for the novel coronavirus COVID-19, their form is a fitting prototype for a protective space within which we can wrap ourselves. While the body temperatures of bats varies, enabling them to carry and spread the virus without causing them harm, our immune systems operate differently. As our temperature rises, the virus is not harmed. This proposal for easily foldable novel protective gear, is to be made of carbon fiber. In the designer’s words “the ultraviolet radiation network on the surface of the device can heat up to sterilize the surrounding environment, turning contact [into] a way to kill, rather than spread, the virus.” As their temperature keeps bats safe from the virus, here the temperature of the bat-like shell will keep us safe, destroying harmful viruses and bacteria.