Inflatable art space incubator
We are testing different ways to make inflatable Pavilions for the Amsterdam Biennale. Our goal is to build a 1,80m x 1,80m x 2,00m inflatable structure, where people can enter. In this blog you can follow all our experiments.
The Amsterdam Biennale 2009 is part of the Mediamatic Travel Project.
Eline
We wanted to test if we could inflate two cubes via one air-conditioning connection. So we connected the bleu cube to the glazing foil cube. The bleu cube is connected to the air-conditioning system that inflates the bleu cube and and through a tube the air goes from the bleu cube to the glazing foil cube and inflates this cube. Our test showed that our air-condition is strong enough to inflate at least two cubes.
The Amsterdam Biennale 2009 is part of the Mediamatic Travel Project.
This cube is made out of glazing foil. The Glazing Foil we have bought in the DIY store. This is a very cheap but heavy material. the size of the cube is 1,7 x 1,7 x 2 meters. We used again the air-conditioning system to inflate the cube.
We put a tent zipper in this cube. We hoped that we could use the zipper as an entrance but when we opened the zipper over 80 cm the cube deflates.
Zipper Entrance
...
Here you see the windows we made in a plastic cube (1,8 x 1,8 x 2,0 meters).
the windows are closed with postcards. We attached them with tape. To open the windows you push the cards inwards and upwards. The wind blows towards you and the inner side of the cube becomes visible. It is also possible to omit the postcard and create a window which is constantly open. The window can have a maximum size of 25 cm diameter, when using this type of cube and air pressure.
The Amsterdam Biennale 2009 is part of the Mediamatic Travel Project.
Here you can see the blue fabric cube that we made out of airtight shower curtain fabric that we found on the Lapjesmarkt in Utrecht. The sizes are 1.5 x 1,5 x 2,0 meters. To inflate the cube we tried an ordinary home van and the air-conditioning system of the building. Both work well, as you can see in the picture.
-
With this tunnel entrance you can enter the inflatable without deflating the cube.
-
-
For the fabric cube we use the seam below. Fold the two peaces of fabric and sew them together (see cross section). This provides a good airtight seam.
Below you see our entrance-tunnel-design. We have attached a tunnel to the blue inflatable cube. We use the air-conditioning system to inflate de cube. At the end of the tunnel you see a lead cord that prevents the tunnel from being blown open by the ...
Here you see an item that we have stuctured from inflated tubes. The tubes are the frame that we covered with a plastic layer. The material we used for the tubes is plastic you can buy at the DIY store it inflates well but it is very fragile. The structure began deflating within 15 minutes.
The Amsterdam Biennale 2009 is part of the Mediamatic Travel Project.
Alice
Test 1: paper model
Our first test was done using paper and cheap transparent tape. We cut 6 squares of the paper and taped them together. It is important to tape them on both sides (inside and outside) to make it really airtight. A hole must be opened on the bottom of the cube (see drawing), so the cube can be filled with air and people can go inside. To blow it you just lift the structure and pull it quick down.
Diana
Pedro
Helen
Aicha