Style & Design
Originally published on Tuesday, 24th February 2009
Inflate
With On/Off's move to the Science Museum this season, they've drafted in some seriously space-agey installations to set the scene. UJ looks at the less salacious side of inflatables with UK based experts Inflate, and tries to blag a blow up office in the process.
Describe your work and how you have used it to create pieces for On|Off.
My work is about rapid deployment architecture. Trends move very fast and this event will be deployed and re deployed in relation to this fashion. They are all simple white structures to create an unobstructive back drop to the designs being shown.
Apart from more traditional uses as bouncy castles and insane asylums, where can inflatable architecture be employed?
Inflatable architecture can be literally out of this world – Nasa has been a huge supporter of inflatable architecture in space.
Did this obsession with inflated objects come from more salacious origins or are you just very clever design people?
It all came about by accident – I was making a portfolio case and decided just to make it inflatable – once finished the response from people who saw it was so exciting that I thought there must be something in the notion of inflatable, functional products.
That was 1993 – now in 2009 we are making bigger and bigger products – which are of architectural scale – but to me they are still products!
If your work could be translated into something wearable, what would it be and why?
Moon boots – we tried them once and they looked fantastic – but needed a lot of development to get them off the ground!
Which London Landmark would make the best inflatable and why?
Gherkin – because it could be completely replicated with no need to obscure the design. But I would like to re-invent Battersea Power Station – as new source of energy for the City.
Who would you most like to create an inflatable home for, and what features would it have?
Pet Shop Boys. And it would have completely surround sound space with all walls and ceilings completely lined with inflatable padding – in white – this room would revolve as a tumble room with zero gravity.
What can we expect to see from you in the future?
Solar powered inflatables that parachute to the ground and self inflate creating habitats anywhere anytime as needed.
Your career highlight so far?
Paying the bills- a monthly highlight! Winning awards is always a good ego massager
If you could describe Urban Junkies through your inflatables, what would it look like?
Chrome – with sexy curves
Can Urban Junkies have an inflatable office please? We promise not to puncture it.
It‘s in the post xx
