Exxopolis

This is amazing ... here's what I thought for Sydney Arts Guide http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/exxopolis/ Book now if you haven’t already for this amazing, enthralling Experience. The wonderful people of Architects of Air from Nottingham UK have brought EXXOPOLIS to Sydney at the Sydney Opera House. You might remember that they brought their astonishing ‘Mirazozo’ to the Sydney Opera House forecourt in 2010. Here in Sydney EXXOPOLIS is based at the front of the Opera House and is the size of half a football field and rises to the height of a three storey building .3,000m2 of plastic is used with 9,000 individual pieces and has 6 km of seams . Allow plenty of time for queues etc ( pre booking is recommended although yes you can buy tickets at the entrance ) .It is a salute to their first inflatable sculpture EGGOPOLIS, that toured the UK in 1992 .It uses an almost unique ,fragile delicate type of plastic and was carefully hand made by a team of forty over six months . Since 1992, over 2 million visitors in 55 countries across five continents have immersed themselves in the spectacular, luminous world of Architects of Air. There are lots of excellent staff around, all casually dressed in distinctive tshirts suiting the current boiling hot summer weather. It is a timed booking system and after collecting your ticket at the box office you queue first to access the entrance area, to take off your shoes, leave backpacks etc. Yes, there is an area for strollers too . It is very family friendly – young children love it, although they can also become over excited We go through one side of the airlock and are given a short briefing . Parents are strongly advised to firmly supervise their children at all times. No running, sliding down walls, jumping is allowed as it could damage the fragile surface . Then through the other side of the lock to actually experience the Luminarium. It is air conditioned and soft meditation –like music is piped through. A small, handy, reusable laminated map is provided and staff patrol both the airlock and the areas inside. It can actually be a rather forcefully overpowering experience as it can somewhat overwhelm the senses. Once officially inside visitors can wander freely around the inflatable, psychedelic maze, dazzled by the shapes and colours, or just gently lie back in one of the alcoves and enjoy the ambience of the structure.( And take photos. Many people take masses of photos).The first reaction is often one of awed enchantment at the somewhat unexpected beauty of the light. (On a hot sunny day like the day I attended, the bright, strong , colours sang and dazzled . But on cloudy, overcast days far more gentler , muted colours appear.) The coloured pvc of the luminarium is dazzling in its luminosity. Through arched, curved tunnels and soaring fragile domes, visitors move gently in a medium of saturated and subtle hues. Visitors are able to explore how various colours can clash, blend or resonate; how they might transform faces and clothing. (Great if you are an art teacher trying to explain colour theory!)The design of the kaleidoscopic coloured light distorts, changes or enhances the experience of these liquid spaces that span fifty-three metres in length by nearly nine metres in height Some visitors compare the luminarium to a cathedral , the human body , or possibly a fragile futuristic space station. The main dome of Exxopolis, which definitely has a church like feel, is called the ‘Cuppola’ featuring perpendicular style windows that have been made by different community groups in Nottingham and designed to create a ‘stained glass’ effect. The design is based on Penrose tiling, similar in some ways to Islamic tiling. Is it art? is it inflatable sculpture ? Is it architecture ? All of the above? See it for yourself and decide. EXXOPOLIS by Architects of air is at the Sydney Opera House entrance January 3- 27.