Archinect - News 2024-12-23T20:52:52-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/150004548/the-new-inflatable-moment-at-bsa-space-will-explore-the-role-of-pneumatic-architecture-in-envisioning-utopia 'The New Inflatable Moment' at BSA Space will explore the role of pneumatic architecture in envisioning utopia Nicholas Korody 2017-04-25T12:21:00-04:00 >2017-04-27T21:24:48-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/x7/x7k2iflhh0bdnclu.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>Pneumatic architecture&mdash;aka inflatables&mdash;have been a mainstay of avant-garde and experimental architecture for decades. Back in the &rsquo;60s, figures like Buckminster Fuller and Frei Otto, alongside radical practices like Haus-Rucker-Co, Utopia and Ant Farm, pioneered the use of these structures. They&rsquo;ve also been used by more mainstream studios, from <a href="http://archinect.com/firms/cover/106441/diller-scofidio-renfro" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Diller Scofidio + Renfro</a> to <a href="http://archinect.com/grimshaw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grimshaw</a>.</p><p>Now, they&rsquo;re the subject of an exhibition at BSA Space in Boston. Entitled <em>The New Inflatable Moment</em>, the exhibition, which opens on May 3, &ldquo;will explore inflatable structures used in architecture, art, and engineering since the emergence of the hot air balloon,&rdquo; with a particular focus on their role in &ldquo;envisioning utopia.&rdquo;</p><p>The exhibition is inspired by a recently-released book, <em>The Inflatable Moment: Pneumatics and Protest in &rsquo;68. </em>It looks at renewed interest in the architectural media within this historical context.&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;With this exhibition, we revisit the moment of the 1960s explored by Dessauce to sugges...</p>