Hot Air: An inflatable, inhabitable monument
Twenty years after the Romanian government was overthrown and its dictator, Nicolae Ceauşescu executed, Anca Trandafirescu erected a “monument ” to that dark chapter in the otherwise peaceful events of Central and Eastern Europe ’s 1989 revolutions. Trandafirescu, an architect and assistant professor in architecture at the University of Michigan, designed and constructed the large inflatable, inhabitable structure ―in the iconic shape of the head of a toppled statue ―that was displayed on the Piata Victoriei (Victory Plaza) in Timişoara from November 3 -7, 2009.
This location was the site of the first large demonstrations in the country and that led to the subsequent fall of the Ceauşescu dictatorship. The head itself is without specific identity and is meant to signify, rather than a particular hero, a toppled everyman who has in the course of twenty years following the revolution continued to await a government free from rulers of the past regime.
The name HOT AIR refers to both the unusually warm temperatures in Romania during that special week in December 1989, which helped to bring citizens out into the streets to rally against the government; and also to the large amount of rhetoric surrounding the events that ensued.
The inflatable monument was erected in association with the city ’s Young Artists/Young Democracy expo and the American-Romanian Music Festival and was a venue for visitation,conversation,and a bit of recreation by the public.It kicked off a series of planned celebrations commemorating the events of December 1989 in Timisoara.
More images and a video after the break.
Its a Raumlabor’s Spacebuster knock-off for sure:
http://www.raumlabor.net/?p=1799
nope. even further back in time:
http://www.hollein.com/index1.php?lang=en&l1ID=2&l2ID=1&l3ID=6&pID=8#
nope. even further back in time:
http://hotair2009.blogspot.com/2009/09/inflatohistory.html
…and i can barely make out the statue head. :/
Read the Article…
“The head itself is without specific identity and is meant to signify, rather than a particular hero, a toppled everyman who has in the course of twenty years following the revolution continued to await a government free from rulers of the past regime.”
are one of the links about ant farm ?
Missing in this catalogue:
Ein volumen aus licht, Wienna, 1995
http://www.gora.se/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=84&Itemid=108
and
A drop of light, The Parliament building, Stockholm, 1998
http://www.gora.se/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=172:a-drop-of-light-the-parliament-building-stockholm&catid=81:1998&Itemid=105
Artist: Monika Gora
a little hint….
THIS guy was doing those projects in the 60s:
http://www.rsh-p.com/practice/team/mike_davies
an eerily beautiful d.i.y.-esque sculpture in that ornate square… the shadows dancing on the skin are so simple, but really lovely in the context of the anniversary of the resistance.
why all the concern for “such-and-such did this first”? hardly a real critical reaction, just a trainspotter’s non-engagement.
thanks AD for the short break from the super-slick, fully-built, professionally-photographed projects we usually see!
it’s not about when or who did it first if the hint was about my comment – I was just telling about other projects – and just added some more info about the project, because I thinks it’s important to tell as much as possible.
I used the brick first
12:32 PM Nov 18th
what is it about inflatable structures I like so much? RT @archdaily: inhabitable monument http://bit.ly/Jt6pE
12:48 PM Nov 18th
Almost as good as @FATArchitecture 's WC head – RT @archdaily: Hot Air: An inflatable, inhabitable monument http://bit.ly/Jt6pE
1:02 PM Nov 18th
Reading: "tentativa pro reveillon 2010?" (http://twitthis.com/93koj6)
1:03 PM Nov 18th
nova tentativa pro reveillon desse ano? http://twitthis.com/93koj6
2:42 PM Nov 18th
Para los que coleccionan nubes: http://bit.ly/3KWjBv (via archdaily)
4:36 PM Nov 24th
Exhibited: Inflatable monument celebrates the fall of Ceauşescu: http://bit.ly/3LBn1V via @archdaily #architecture
4:19 AM Nov 26th
Installacio a roman rendszervaltas emlékére: http://bit.ly/3LBn1V