Archinect - News

Diller-Scofidio's Hirshhorn Bubble: One More Chance?

2013-02-07T16:18:00-05:00

As a public-art stunt, the Seasonal Inflatable is troubling. The Hirshhorn should build it anyway.

If and when the Inflatable is first inflated, perhaps in fall 2014—that’s the latest, and perhaps the last, aspirational launch date—the architectural pavilion known informally as the Bubble and somewhat more officially as the Bloomberg Balloon could serve as another kind of proof: that Hirshhorn Director Richard Koshalek’s trust in architecture in art is not misplaced, and that his faith in Washington as a cultural capital is not overdetermined.

Kriston Capps writes a convincing article why Diller Scofidio's Bubble should not be bobbled.

Hirshhorn Bubble Project: The Problem With Event Art

2012-11-21T07:10:00-05:00

To fund the Bubble, the museum originally turned to Bloomberg, planning to call it the Bloomberg Balloon in honor of a $1 million (or greater) gift. But, perhaps tellingly, the Hirshhorn has not consistently referred to the Bloomberg Balloon as such, suggesting there may still be room—or the need—for a larger donor. Diminishing federal support certainly won’t fund the Bubble, and to date, the museum's board has not stepped up to bridge the funding gap.

Doug Aitken Will Turn Hirshhorn Into 360-Degree Screen

2012-02-23T15:08:00-05:00

As if Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s giant inflatable balloon set to rise (sometime) from its roof, Up-style, weren’t a sufficiently kinetic addition to the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C., the institution announced in a press release yesterday that artist Doug Aitken will turn the building’s circular facade into an enormous 360-degreen screen for nearly two months this spring.