Book Description
Ever since the first hot-air balloons sailed over the French countryside in the eighteenth century, both delighting and terrifying those watching below, the world has had ambivalent feelings towards air-filled forms. This first up-to-date history explores the fear and wonder evoked by inflatable technologies in all aspects of life: from children ’s toys to military craft and everything in between.
From the Publisher
Inflatable forms have been around for centuries, but scientists, architects, artists, and manufacturers keep rediscovering this deceptively simple technology. Some of its first applications were extreme environments, where it appealed to scientists and the military. But in the 1960s artists such as Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg, and design collectives such as Utopia and Archigram, used pneumatic forms to challenge conventional assumptions about the role of materials in art and architecture. Contemporary designers such as Verner Panton and Issey Miyake have incorporated blow-ups into their work, and today inflatables have entered the mainstream market in such diverse structures as toys, furniture, and walk-through environments. This unique work brings the technological and philosophical history of pneumatics into the present, beautifully illustrating its countless uses as it reveals how inflatable objects still evoke the sense of optimism and escape that inspired the first designers in this field.
About the Author
Sean Topham studied design and currently works as a writer and journalist. His interest in plastics began while writing a documentary on Action Man. He lives in London, England.
Blowup: Inflatable Art, Architecture and Design SYNOPSIS
Ever since the first hot-air balloons sailed over the French countryside in
the eighteenth century, both delighting and terrifying those watching below,
the world has had ambivalent feelings towards air-filled forms. This first
up-to-date history explores the fear and wonder evoked by inflatable
technologies in all aspects of life: from children ﾽs toys to military craft
and everything in between.
Inflatable forms have been around for centuries, but scientists, architects,
artists, and manufacturers keep rediscovering this deceptively simple
technology. Some of its first applications were extreme environments, where
it appealed to scientists and the military. But in the 1960s artists such as
Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg, and design collectives such as Utopia and
Archigram, used pneumatic forms to challenge conventional assumptions about
the role of materials in art and architecture. Contemporary designers such
as Verner Panton and Issey Miyake have incorporated blow-ups into their
work, and today inflatables have entered the mainstream market in such
diverse structures as toys, furniture, and walk-through environments. This
unique work brings the technological and philosophical history of pneumatics
into the present, beautifully illustrating its countless uses as it reveals
how inflatable objects still evoke the sense of optimism and escape that
inspired the first designers in this field.
Art & Photography
Book Info
