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Ark Nova: World’s First Inflatable Concert Hall Will Tour Recovering Areas in Japan

Designed through a unique collaboration between sculptor Anish Kapoor, architect Arata Isozaki, and the Lucerne Festival, Ark Nova is the first large-scale infalatable concert hall ever constructed. Conceived over a year ago, the 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. You can read more about it over on Spoon & Tamago and see more photos on Lucerne Festival Ark Nova’s Facebook page.