Architects of Air have taken their walk-through sculptures to 500 exhibitions in 37 countries worldwide since 1992. Throughout the month of January, their newest design Mirazozo will occupy the forecourt of Sydney’s iconic Opera House.

Photo by James Morgan

Artistic Director Alan Parkinson and his team at Architects of Air create luminaria – pneumatic structures designed to be walked through and experienced.

Photo by Jason Nakrani

The environment inside the sculptures is at once reminiscent of known objects – such as a cavern, or a womb – and yet seemingly removed from the everyday.

Photo by Ian Allen

Visitors wind their way through interconnected domes and tunnels, or relax in pods away from the main thoroughfares.

Photo by Ian Allen

Daylight shines through the PVC of the structure, creating an ambient interplay of light and colour that changes according to the weather or time of day, ensuring that no two experiences of the luminarium are the same.

Photo by James Morgan

Mirazozo is AoA’s newest design. Its key feature is an illuminated seam, where lines in the PVC create a lattice of light visible from the interior.

These luminous strips shift the viewer’s gaze between different perceptions of the same view in an effect reminiscent of the geometric surface design encountered in Islamic art and architecture.

Photo by James Morgan

Mirazozo will feature at the Sydney Opera House until 27 January 2011. Architects of Air luminaria will also travel to Mesa and Pittsburgh in the United States, Bern in Switzerland and Edinburgh, Scotland, later in the year.

Photo by James Morgan

Architects of Air
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