New York architect, John Locke, has transformed a local dumpster (“Skip” in British parlance) into an inflatable art installation as part of an urban invention project dubbed, “Inflato Dumpster.” Whilst the name might be a little on-the-nose, the achievement is no less impressive for it, with the inflatable membrane containing 2000 cubic feet of volume, which Locke called “An inflatable classroom.”
Developed through his own Department of Urban Betterment organisation, Locke said the goal was to “Transform something typically associated with waste and discarded materials into a space for something exciting and new.” He added; “As public space in New York becomes increasingly privatised and commodified, The Inflato Dumpster seeks to counter that tendency by serving as an open, engaging street-level structure that acts as a mobile learning laboratory.”
A New York architect has transformed a local skip into an inflatable art installation
The beta version of the crowd-funded installation was first launched over three days in late-September at 109th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in the Bloomingdale Neighbourhood of Manhattan. Over the three days it was in operation, more than 500 people interacted with the Inflato Dumpster through various events and workshops. These included musical performances, film screenings and a £D printing and modelling workshop. The $4,200 budget for the project (which included renting the necessary equipment) was funded through Kickstarter, and the intention is for it to “Re-inflate” periodically to “Further explore how it fits within the neighbourhood.”
The inflatable membrane is made from a combination of clear polyethylene and mylar film and is dual-sided so that it's silver on the outside and gold on inside. The streetwalk (pavement) side of the dome is also more open than the street side, so images can be projected on to the street side wall, and the more transparent side can filter light down through the canopy of the nearby maple tree from above.
Locke believes the idea of inflating the installation inside a dumpster “Kept the project in the realm of the recognisable.”
Locke believes the idea of inflating the installation inside a dumpster helped the project, “Because it kept the project in the realm of the recognisable, and fed into the transgressive feeling of being inside of an off-limits space.” He adds that, negative connotations aside, “There’s a shared awareness of the interior dimensions of a dumpster, unlike, say, an 'inflatable classroom' or, even worse, 'a new paradigm of public space,' which could be just about anything.”
He says what attracted him to the project was the idea of “Transforming existing banal street structures,” and that he personally was drawn to the idea “Of turning something typically associated with waste and discarded materials into a space for something exciting and new.” He also finds the “Juxtaposition of heavy/light and new/used” fascinating, and believed the project could be seen as a metaphor about “Recycling knowledge.”
The inflatable membrane is made from a combination of clear polyethylene and mylar film
Installation of the Inflato Dumpster, meanwhile, proved to be a “Friendly and inclusionary” experience, with the neighbourhood willing to get involved and ask about the project. Locke said that was what he found so fascinating about it, the way people interacted with it without any pretentiousness. He said there were “Kids, moms on the way from the store, students, the elderly, drunks, lifelong and newly-arrived residents, football fans (on Sunday outside the bar), and so on, all with opinions and critiques, but all interested in what was going on.” He did add, however, that many locals assumed there was a cost involved in taking part, which Locke countered by installing a large, prominently displayed sign stating “FREE TO ALL,” and by the third day, word had spread and the Inflato Dumpster was a legitimate hit!
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK who is incredibly claustrophobic, so probably wouldn't fancy a go in the Inflato Dumpster.
