Concert halls can be a bit intimidating. Not least because they often house some pretty intense performances, but because bestowed upon them is an element of grandeur and prestige. Well fear no more, because Japan has become home to the world’s first inflatable concert hall, putting the fun back into big fancy venues.
The project came to life after the devastating effects of the Fukushima Earthquake in 2011. Architect Arata Isozaki and artist Anish Kapoor collaborated on the creation of Ark Nova, the first of it’s kind, designed in order to bring music to the parts of Japan which have been hit by natural disasters.
Ark Nova only takes two hours to inflate and seats 500 people. The venue can be assembled, enjoyed then quickly deflated and packed onto a truck to move onto the next location.
There is a virtual tour available, guided by Marc Kushner, author of The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings. Through this, you’re able to get an idea of the ingenuity behind Ark Nova and what it means for the music community.
It’s a pretty incredible project and one which will hopefully inspire other creative communities to think of ways that they can bring music and arts to cities experiencing such horrible destruction.
Via Open Culture.
