The art festival, 'TRACK: A Contemporary City Conversation,' in Ghent, Belgium, offers many curious, thought-provoking and just plain fun exhibits. For example, the floating mountain and castle by Kurdish/Turkish artist Ahmet Ogüt, titled, 'Castle of Vooruit.'
Of course, the installation is not an actual castle atop a real boulder. It is a lighter-than-air balloon made to look as such. Nonetheless, the illusion is convincing and striking. It is deeply reminiscent of Rene Magritte's 'La Chateau des Pyrenees.' Sometimes surrealism is often frowned upon as hackneyed or gimmicky, however, those who employ such criticisms would do well to check out Ogüt's installation. Surreal art, especially on this scale, is fantastic, imaginative and uninhibited.
For those looking to explore such qualities, the TRACK festival runs from May 12th, 2012 to September 16th, 2012.
Photo Credits: designboom, ahmetogut
Airborne Boulder Balloons
The 'TRACK: A Contemporary City Conversation' Installation is Grand
Trend Themes
1. Surreal Art Installations - Installations that create surreal or dream-like environments for viewers can offer new experiences that disrupt the traditional expectations of art exhibits.
2. Lighter-than-air Balloons - Creating sculptures and installations with lighter-than-air balloons can offer a new medium for artists to work with that can be both striking and unconventional.
3. Imaginative Festivals - Holding festivals that showcase imaginative and creative art installations like TRACK can not only offer unique experiences for attendees, but can also provide opportunities for artists to experiment with new ideas.
Industry Implications
1. Art Installations - Art installations and museums can look into providing more immersive and unconventional experiences for viewers to set themselves apart from traditional art exhibits.
2. Event Planning - Event planners can create more imaginative and creative festivals and events that offer unique experiences for attendees.
3. Ballooning Industry - Promoting the use of lighter-than-air balloons to artists and designers can create new business opportunities for companies in the ballooning industry.