AK03: Inflated dream of light and air

By PHILIP ENGLISH

Its creator calls it "ephemeral architecture".

"Levity", now showing in Aotea Square, was labelled by one critic as a "circus tent that has undergone sinister genetic mutation".

Despite yesterday's showery weather, people waited in long queues for a chance to experience one of the early hits of AK03, the two-week Auckland festival of arts.

The Luminarium: Architects of Air walk-through art installation is a series of massive inflated PVC halls and turrets.

Its creator, Alan Parkinson, reportedly came up with the design after studying anatomical drawings of a jellyfish.

From his studios in Nottingham and Geneva, Parkinson aims to produce one luminarium a year and send them out to tour the world. The idea is to create a cross between a cathedral or a mosque and a children's bouncy castle.

Visitors walk through the 8m-high corridors of the labyrinth into blue, green and red spaces to see outside light filtered through the PVC walls.

A breeze runs through the 720sq m structure as it is kept upright by fan-forced air.

Organisers of the exhibition were surprised at the crowds who turned up yesterday for the free event.

For the rest of the festival, visitors will have to pay for entry.

The luminarium was designed to offer visitors a relaxed and calming experience, said spokeswoman Shanti Freed.

"People often come to it with absolutely no idea of what to expect ... Some people feel it is very cathedral-like or spiritual. Others think it is like being inside a body or an artery or something like that.

"The nature of the light changes with sunshine or clouds, but it is not better any one way. It is just different."

Information on the luminarium can be found at Architects-of-air.

Herald Feature: Auckland Festival AK03

Auckland Festival website