The Project

In one of Black Light’s more unusual (but most magical) projects, our team was asked to suspend a giant balloon sculpture high up in the atrium of the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland. The sculpture was one of the highlights of the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Our involvement shows that we are trusted by our clients to come up with innovative technical solutions to even the most unexpected of challenges.
The sculpture, titled Pisces, was created for the Edinburgh Science Festival by world-renowned New York experimental artist Jason Hackenwerth. It was an amazing, multi-coloured spiralled double helix structure that stood over 40 feet tall.

We were specifically asked to come up with a way to suspend the sculpture during its installation period, to raise it for a grand ‘reveal’ and then to secure it in its final position in the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland.

Key Project Steps

• Installation of rigging and system to allow sculpture to be raised slowly during its installation period
• Securing rigging for the reveal of the sculpture
• Removal of the installation

Key Challenges

The main technical challenge posed by this project was the fact that our team was working in a building that didn’t have any structural calculations for loading its roof. This meant that we had to work closely with a team of structural engineers and with the museum’s in-house maintenance team.

When we were making our choices about what equipment and techniques to use, we had to carefully consider the aesthetics of the museum and the space in which we would be working. The grand gallery is a very architecturally-impressive exhibition space so it was important to maintain this look when we suspended the balloon sculpture.

Results

The construction of the sculpture went without any hitches (except for some popped balloons). The final reveal of the sculpture and its suspension in its final position went smoothly and the client was happy with the outcome of the project. The sculpture was widely regarded as one of the highlights of the Science Festival.