flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Germany to commemorate Berlin Wall anniversary with 10-mile LED 'balloon' installation

Germany to commemorate Berlin Wall anniversary with 10-mile LED 'balloon' installation

The balloons will be up for two days and two nights, starting November 7.


By BD+C Staff | October 16, 2014
Photos by Daniel Bche via The Creators Project
Photos by Daniel Bche via The Creators Project

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall, LED-lit balloons will line the wall’s former span, between Oberbaumbrücke and Bornholm Road, The Creators Project reports.

The balloons will be up for two days and two nights, starting November 7.

The project, named Lichtgrenze (or Border of Light), makes for a colossal art installation that will span 10 miles, dividing Berlin back to East and West. There will be 8,000 LED light-filled balloons, each 11 feet high and with 24-inch-diameter orbs, lining the path.

Researchers at the University of Hannover were asked to help design the balloons to be biodegradable. The material will decompose by natural environment factors such as sunlight, oxygen, and bacteria.

The idea for the installation was conceived by light artist and designer Christopher Bauder and his brother, filmmaker Marc Bauder.

Along key locations of the trail will be 30-foot-tall video screens that will play historical footage of the Wall, which Marc Bauder plans to use to juxtapose divided Berlin with the city today.

On the last day, November 9, at 7 pm—the anniversary of the fall of the Wall—patrons can attach personal notes to the balloons and then discconect them, allowing the helium-filled orbs to float into the Berlin night sky. LEDs integrated into the stands, powered by 60,000 batteries, will illuminate the orbs as they take off.

Stay tuned for more updates of the event at The Creators Project.

 

Related Stories

| Mar 4, 2014

If there’s no ‘STEM crisis,’ why build more STEM schools?

Before you get your shorts in a knot, I have nothing against science, technology, engineering, or even mathematics; to the contrary, I love all four “STEM” disciplines (I’m lying about the math). But I question whether we need to be building K-12 schools that overly emphasize or are totally devoted to STEM.

| Mar 3, 2014

Negotiate your way to success

There are few business skills as important as negotiation. Many successful businesspeople pride themselves on their ability to turn a deal in their favor.  Here are a few key negotiation principles to ensure you’re generally getting a good deal.

| Mar 3, 2014

5 ways to gain clients you actually like

Gaining more clients is one thing. Gaining more clients that you actually like is something else entirely. Here are some tips to perfect the art of attracting and retaining clients that you enjoy working with. 

| Mar 3, 2014

Engineering and construction CEOs are cautiously optimistic about the global economy, says PwC

Firm leaders remain leery about the availability of skilled workers, the state of government debt and deficits, and rising material prices, according to PwC’s 2014 Global CEO Survey.

| Mar 1, 2014

Dramatic fractal roof highlights SOM's new Mumbai airport terminal [slideshow]

The terminal merges new technology and traditional regional architecture, notably in the fractal roof canopy that runs throughout the terminal. 

| Feb 28, 2014

Six finalists selected in design competition for Canadian Holocaust monument

David Adjaye and Daniel Libeskind are among the finalists for the National Holocaust Monument, planned near the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

| Feb 27, 2014

Gensler reveals 44 design trends for the next decade

The 82-page report covers dozens of emerging trends in healthcare, commercial office, hospitality, tall buildings, and more.

| Feb 27, 2014

Target converts former prison dump into latest big-box store

Target's new San Rafael, Calif., location was built on the site of the former San Quentin prison dump. 

| Feb 27, 2014

Open or private offices? It depends on the business plan

Open layouts are grabbing headlines as a hallmark of the new workplace—think the Google campus or Facebook's headquarters. And for smaller-scale operations, open designs are often lauded for being less expensive than private office plans. But does that mean all offices should have an open layout?

| Feb 27, 2014

3 reasons to apply computational fluid dynamics on your next project

From right-sizing mechanical systems to understanding the impact of design alternatives, CFD offers a host of benefits for the Building Team. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021