Music heals. It’s not gonna fix the damage from Japan’s 2011 tsunami, but it might help. That’s the thinking behind Ark Nova, the first-ever inflatable concert hall:
[T]he mobile structure will open to the public on October 14th and will be host to concerts, events, and workshops in tsunami-damaged areas around the country.
Made from a translucent purple membrane reminiscent of a parachute, the organic structure can inflate in roughly two hours and seats up to 500 people, and will be easily transported around the region. Additionally, wood from tsunami-damaged cedar trees at the Zuiganji Temple in Matsushima was repurposed to build seating and acoustic reflectors in the hall’s interior.
Awesome, right?
Not only will Ark Nova’s seating and locations pay tribute to tsunami victims, but its very nature reflects the impermanence of life. A British-Indian sculptor who worked on the project, Anish Kapoor, told the Telegraph, “We felt that the site in Matsushima, amidst the destruction of the tsunami, needed a temporary structure and an inflatable seemed to be appropriate.” It seems fitting, somehow.
Just try not to think about how it kinda looks like a butt.
