hi all
a slight sideways move, but i wanted to share with list members in
north america who might not have heard the sad news of an
interactive/temporary public art project gone horribly wrong this past
weekend in the northeast of england.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/5208460.stm
Maurice Agis' inflatable work, Dreamspace, unexpectedly lifted into the
air in the British heatwave, and two women fell to their deaths and
many others were injured or nearly crushed when it came down some
hundreds of feet away. Made of 'rooms' of brightly coloured PVC, the
work sounds to me (I haven't experienced it) like a cross between a
funfair 'bouncy castle' and a Vernon Panton walk-in environment. It
likely spells the end of Maurice's career - at the age of 74 by all
reports he is completely heartbroken. Our condolences go out to him and
the families of all affected.
There are a number of inflatable public art works - ranging from Isis'
Big M - a touring venue for showing short video work
(http://www.isisarts.org.uk/thebigm.html) to the corporate/commercial
architecture project by Inflate design in London...
but i'm less interested in the effects of this accident on the
technology of inflatable architectures, and more on a city's
willingness to commission/produce/present a large public interactive
environmental work.
thoughts?
sarah
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