Tracing the evolution of inflatable architecture and utopia in “The New Inflatable Moment” at BSA Space

As quirky as it may come across to some, inflatable structures have had a long-standing historical presence in the fields of architecture, art, and engineering. Opening May 3 at the BSA Space in Boston, “The New Inflatable Moment” looks back at the evolution of inflatable architectures since the emergence (no pun intended) of the hot air balloon, and how seminal inflatable structures influenced visions of utopia.

Curated by Mary E. Hale and Katarzyna Balug, the exhibition was inspired by the 1998 exhibition and book, The Inflatable Moment: Pnuematics and Protest in '68 by Marc Dessauce and The Architectural League of New York.

Read on for a glimpse of what the exhibition has in store.

“The New Inflatable Moment” acknowledges the practical uses of inflatable architecture, but leans more toward “the role that some of these revolutionary works of imagination have had in envisioning utopia”. A series of installations, photos, videos, and models contextualizes art and architecture's renewed interest in inflatable structures.

The exhibition will showcase works by established and emerging architects, designers, and artists like Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Grimshaw, Anish Kapoor/Arata Isozaki, Otto Piene, Graham Stevens, Chico MacMurtrie, and raumlaborberlin, among others.

It will also showcase the earlier visions of Buckminster Fuller and the late Frei Otto; the utopian collectives of the late 1960s like Haus-Rucker-Co, Utopie, and Ant Farm; as well as the use of inflatable technology for space exploration by Foster and Partners and ILC Dover.

“With this exhibition, we revisit the moment of the 1960s explored by Dessauce to suggest that utopian thought is re-emerging today in architecture and art as evidenced in projects involving inflatables,” said curators Mary E. Hale and Katarzyna Balug.

Laura Wernick FAIA, chair of the BSA Foundation adds: “The exhibition reveals some of the most visionary architectural minds working with new methods of display and communication. Its premiere at BSA space will empower designers to similarly think and work in new ways to create a better future and motivate the general public to believe in it.”

The exhibition will be open from May 3-September 3, 2017. Learn more about it in the link below.

Photos courtesy of Boston Society of Architects.