Big Air Package by Bulgarian-born American artist Christo, installed at the Gasometer Oberhausen in Germany (formerly Europe’s largest gasometer, converted into an exhibition space in the 1990s) is the largest ever inflated envelope without a skeleton. It’s 90m high, 50m across and 177,000 cubic meters in volume. The official press release sez:
The sculpture, which is installed inside the former gas tank, was made from 20,350 square meters of semitransparent polyester fabric and 4,500 meters of rope […] The “Big Air Package” nearly spans the distance from wall to wall of the Gasomter, leaving only a small passage to walk around the sculpture. Two air fans creating a constant pressure of 27 pascal (0.27 millibar) keep the package upright. Airlocks allow visitors to enter the package. Illuminated through the skylights of the Gasometer and 60 additional projectors, the work of art creates a diffuse light throughout the interior. Inside the sculpture, an extraordinary experience of shape, space and light is provided.
