Saturday, July 8, 2023

Day 401- “Architects of Air: Daedalum”- Inflatable Immersive Installation that Transports to Another World

 

There is an inflatable world located in the Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. "Architects-of-Air: Daedalum," is an air-filled space that is inspired by the Greek figure Daedalus, the creator of the labyrinth.  Traversing through this exhibit of only air, vinyl and natural color from the sunlight is no corn maze or house of mirrors. It is an experience that feels like you entered another universe or world-someplace that is definitely not a former Pittsburgh parking lot.  


Reflection

In the past I have braved immersive theater (Day 289 ) and art.  I had mixed feelings about standing in the middle of giant pictures of Van Gogh’s paintings when the Van Gogh immersive experience came to Pittsburgh.



Daedalum sparked my curiosity as I walked past the city of gray inflatables in the middle of town. From the outside, this art looks like a village on a planet from Star Wars or maybe an alien spaceship. What is this, I thought?



It is whatever you feel as you walk through this air chamber maze of round and cylinder shapes with windows of light that display varied intensity of yellow, green, red, and blue as the sun moves. It’s eerie yet relaxing.

 I lost track of time and orientation while walking through the tunnels. They changed in form and color when approached from different angles.

There is a room with a celling of colorful circles that reminded me of Swiss cheese and another large room that looked like a middle eastern temple. Of course, this is just my impression. I heard people describing the experience as moving through the body’s arteries, ventricle of the heart or a beehive. Many describe it as, "nothing like I've ever experienced."


This exhibit of light, sound and shapes changes your perception of the present. It will transport you to another world by igniting the imagination.

(Architects of Air: Daedalum is open from July 1 through September 4, 2023. It is located in downtown Pittsburgh. Hours are Wednesday through Friday, from 5pm to 9pm and Saturday and Sunday, from 12 noon to 9 pm. For tickets to trustarts.org or call 412 456-6666.)

 Every Saturday you can also experience Yoga in this space between 12 and 12:45pm. For yoga tickets go to Yoga tickets. Architects of Air places these luminarium's around the world for details of tour go to  Architects of Air Description of the luminaria currently on tour (architects-of-air.com)

Other Sources

https://trustarts.org/pct_home/events/pages/architects-of-air-daedalum

https://trustarts.org/