Admit it – you’re jealous of the little kids who get to romp in those inflatable bounce houses. Once we reach a certain age (or weight), we’re just not welcome in those primary-colored playgrounds any longer. But some lucky kids-at-heart got a chance to relive the fun of that experience with ‘Net Blow-Up,’ most recently installed near the waterfront in Yokohama by Croatian-Austrian design collective Numen/For Use.
The inflatable play structure looks like a big white bubble in its spot beside the water, glowing like a lantern once the sun goes down. Inside, it’s strung with multiple levels black netting that’s just stretch enough to climb, jump and flip to your heart’s desire.
Watching it from the outside might be almost as fun as bouncing around within it, as the soft-sided structure deforms and mutates with each movement of those inside. “The outer membrane acts both like a ‘soft box’ diffuser of the outside light, or a projection screen in case of inner illumination of the installation,” say the designers.
Inflatables are popular as temporary installations, since they’re so easy to install and take down. Plus, they tend to have a lighthearted, comical look. Two recent examples include the Bridge in Paris and the world’s first inflatable concert hall, the Ark Nova.
