Arborialis is the latest luminarium designed by Architects of Air. A luminarium is a pneumatic sculpture where people immerse themselves to enjoy the power of the beauty produced by light and colour. The design is inspired by forms of nature, this time, as the title suggests, by trees in particular. It also takes its inspiration from Islamic and Gothic geometry and architecture. Since 1992, Architects of Air have been building and exhibiting these ephemeral structures which act as translucent sculptures dedicated to the phenomenon of light. More than 3 million visitors in over 40 countries across 5 continents have been welcomed into these inflatable monumental structures to immerse themselves in a world of radiant colours. Each new creation designed by Alan Parkinson, the founder of the company, is expressed in a labyrinth of winding tunnels and domes of great beauty where visitors can lose themselves in a sensory journey.

Architects of Air’s luminaria have been marvelled by over three million visitors from some forty countries since 1992. The director of the company and designer of these pneumatic and translucent sculptures, Alan Parkinson, describes his proposal as follows: “I design luminaria because I want to share my sense of wonder at the phenomenon of light. A luminarium provides the frame for an encounter with a light whose surprising and simple intensity cuts through conditioned perception. My inspiration is drawn from several sources such as the pure forms of geometry, architectural works, including Gothic cathedrals and Islamic architecture, as well as the innovative works of creators such as Gaudí, Frei Otto and Buckminster Fuller. I like the challenge involved in finding new ways of combining the fundamental volumes of pneumatics, such as cylinders, cones and spheres and working with the characteristics of materials to achieve structures that optimise the visitor’s experience.”