Core77

Created by Anca Trandafirescu, with the assistance of Le Nguyen, Hot Air is an inflatable, inhabitable monument commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism in Romania. The monument takes the shape of the fallen head of a giant statue, lit from within. We've seen a few iterations of this floating around the internet before, but we're happy to announce the inflatable has reached its intended site of Timisoara, Romania. Upon return, it will be shown again at the University of Michigan, where Trandafirescu teaches.

HOT AIR is envisioned as a celebration - a making of an object/space (and series of events) - inspired by the improbable and infectious spirit of the 1989 uprising that changed the course of history. The lasting legacy, and therefore the object of the memorialization here, is the possibility that lies in collective action and the less-than-perfect results. The contradictions of optimism AND instability inherent in Romania's political change are reflected in the mass, material, and construction of a symbolic image filled with HOT AIR.

We love the unexpected life of this monument as it reacts and adjusts to its environment. Here it is waking up in Eastern Europe and "snoring."

Finally, for anyone interested in making inflatables, we suggest you browse the archives of the Hot Air Blog, where the process from conception to implementation has been meticulously documented. Especially interesting is the creation of the inflatable pattern from a latex mold.

Many more shots after the jump.