The Skywhale is a hot air balloon designed by sculptor Patricia Piccinini as part of a commission to mark the centenary of Canberra. Built by Cameron Balloons in Bristol, United Kingdom, and first flew in Australia in 2013. Balloon design received mixed responses after its general launch in May 2013.
Video The Skywhale
Development
By the hundredth century Australian national capital Canberra in 2013, 26th century creative creative director Robyn Archer commissioned sculptor Patricia Piccinini in 2010 to develop balloons. Piccinini grew up in Canberra and completed a degree in economics at the Australian National University before becoming a successful sculptor. He has received praise for creating a very realistic sculpture of beings, and his work has been exhibited all over the world. Archer chose Piccinini for this project in recognition of the sculptor's connections to Canberra; another prominent Canberrans ex also been asked to participate in the centenary celebration. Piccinini had never designed a balloon before.
Piccinini's goal when designing a balloon is to make it a living creature rather than a "balloon that looks like something". He was inspired by Canberra's planned nature, and has described the work as:
"My question is what if evolution goes in a different way and instead of returning to the ocean, where they originally came from, they went into the air and we evolved into a natural that could fly rather than swim, even coming from places like Canberra is a city planned for completely integrated and integrated with the natural environment, it makes perfect sense to make these big, gigantic, artificial and natural-looking creatures. "
The Skywhale official website describes Piccinini design as follows:
Wing does not make sense to Patricia; the creature was too big and the technical limitations of the balloon design would not allow them. So he took the cues from the balloon itself, and imagined that the creature could somehow emit lighter than air gas. In the wings he imagined a huge udder that might contain gas, as well as a large round body. He imagined the creature with a slightly more human face, with a calm, serene expression that would inspire empathy rather than fear. The goal is to create a very large and amazing creature and be among the impossible and the impossible.
Maps The Skywhale
Construction
After developing the design, Piccinini and his studio developed a 3D balloon model using computer-aided design software. This process is used to overcome technical problems involved with developing balloons that are safe to fly, as well as to perfect the design appearance. The Australian Capital City Government invited five specialized balloon producers to submit proposals to build The Skywhale, but the Bristol-based Cameron Balloons company is the only one to offer.
After the initial design was completed it was forwarded to Cameron Balloons who further developed the plan in consultation with Piccinini. The final design is for the 34-meter long balloon (112Ã, ft) and 23 meters (75Ã, ft) capable of carrying the pilot and two passengers to a maximum height of 3,000 feet (910 m). The balloon weighs half a ton and covers over 3,500 square meters of fabric. It took a team of six workers seven months to complete the balloon. Due to its large size, The Skywhale is slower to rise and fall than traditional balloons. The total construction cost is $ A172,000 and the balloon has a lifespan of about 100 flights.
The owner and operator of The Skywhale, Kiff Saunders, has commented that the design of the balloon caused some problems during the landing, stating "the long Skywhale and the pendulous breasts make it harder to land."
The Skywhale arrived in Australia in early 2013, and conducted a test flight near Mount Arapiles in Victoria during April of that year. Piccinini was a passenger on this flight, an experience he described as "amazing". However, since the balloon basket is small and has a low wall he also reports feeling threatened falling out during the flight. Some of the balloon sutures were loose during this flight, and that air was sent back to Bristol at the expense of Cameron Balloons for repair.
Piccinini paid $ 8,800 to design The Skywhale . He has stated that this is much less than would normally be acceptable to an artist for this scale project, and he agreed to reduce costs because he was impressed with Robyn Archer's plans for the 26th century celebrations and believed that developing balloons would be "unique and extraordinary ".
Reception
The Skywhale design received a mixed acceptance after the balloon was unveiled on May 9, 2013. Australian Capital City Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said that her eyes "almost fell off her head" when she first saw the diagram of Design Skywhale, but he came to love it and believed it would challenge Canberra's perception of being a boring city. He also stated that "There will be people in the community who think it is a remarkable achievement to win such a commission in the ACT and have it as our centenary symbol and those who will not see it as a value for money". The opposition leader in ACT, Jeremy Hanson, criticized The Skywhale stating that "I really do not know whether to laugh or cry... it is shameful embarrassment only the fourth term government will contemplate". The public's view of design, as expressed in social media and radio talkback, also varies. Most of the public criticism has focused on five breasts that hang from each side of the balloon, with Twitter users calling it "nipply awful". The Canberra Museum and Gallery Director wrote an opinion article praising The Skywhale, arguing that the power of design "arises from how it centers on the magic, awe and mystery we experience in nature, urging the insistence on social engagement." The Canberra Times art critic, Kerry-Anne Cousins ​​completes the design courage, and states that "I think it is a sign of Canberra's sophistication that we can have this kind of debate". In response to criticism of the balloon design, Piccinini has stated that it is not meant to be sexual and the breasts represent how the female whales feed their children. He also believes that The Skywhale will likely win greater support after Canberrans sees it directly.
The cost of the balloon and the arrangements it finances also invites criticism. The cultural executive director for the Chief Minister's directors informed the media on May 9 that his balloon and support website cost about $ 170,000. Documents released the next day show that the total cost to the government commissioning and operation of The Skywhale during its lifetime will be $ 300,000, and the philanthropy Aranday Foundation will provide over $ 50,000. In addition, the balloon will remain the property of Melbourne-based Global Ballooning and only one flight is scheduled for Canberra at the time. In response, Jeremy Hanson stated that "this $ 300,000 wastage once again shows the absence of the ACT Government with Canberrans priorities". Katy Gallagher has stated that the Government is considering retaining balloon ownership during its development, but decides not to use this option as it will involve funding for all of the Skywhale's operations. Robyn Archer defended the project, arguing that the cost of the balloon was relatively low, and representing "an offer for public art". Piccinini also said that "it is an aviation machine, a human life depends on it, it has to function well and that's the cost, to make a balloon". While Global Ballooning has The Skywhale , Piccinini maintains intellectual property for balloons and the company does not expect to make much money from displaying and operating it. Director of Global Ballooning believes that The Skywhale will be its own funding when the international gallery began to show it off.
Flight and display
The first flight in Canberra takes place on May 11, 2013, with balloons flying from the base of the National Gallery of Australia to the National Museum of Australia on the other side of Burley Griffin Lake. Hundreds of Canberranss were present to watch the flight. Further flights and performances are scheduled for Hobart and Melbourne at the moment, and there are plans to also showcase balloons in other parts of Australia and abroad where it will be acknowledged as having been commissioned to mark a century of Canberra. Piccinini describes The Skywhale as one of the highlights of his career.
The Skywhale was flown in Hobart and Launceston as part of the Dark MoFo festival in June 2013. In November of that year it was shown in Melbourne. In September 2014 The Skywhale was exhibited at the Tokyo Trans Arts festival in Japan. It was not present at the Canberra Balloon Spectacular 2015 when Global Ballooning applied to participate in the event after the deadline for migrants. In March 2015 it has been flown for 60 hours from the estimated life of the fly of 600 hours.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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