the bubble

Maybe you've heard of this ambitious proposed-project at the hmsg? It involves the installation of an enormous structure that will rest in the center of the donut-shaped Bundshaft building, bulging out at the top and bottom. The bubble is soft and presents a unique challenge to the project as both designers and curators look for an adequate material in which to execute a stable, tension-based structure for two months out of the year.

In May and October the large structure would be inflated in order to play host to community events, meetings, art installations, debates, films, and anything else that you can think of. Some critics are weary of 'another dome on the mall,' but the balloon shape at the top of the building is executed to mirror Brancusi's Sleeping Muse - one of the collection highlights at the hmsg.

The project is still very much in the planning stage, yet the Director of the hmsg is pretty determined to make this a reality and he seems to get things done. I can say that I hear about it in the office quite a bit - they have people working on raising the funds, marketing, research. Personally, I think that this would be an excellent opportunity for the hmsg to assert its presence on the Mall and that its sheer physical presence would attract some much-deserved attention to the museum.

The structure is designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro from New York.