As I left the
stunning Costume exhibition at the National Craft Gallery, Castle Yard during
Kilkenny Arts Festival I noticed a kiosk selling tickets at the gates of Kilkenny Castle. The event was advertised as ‘Architects of Air
presents Miracoco’. I immediately thought of a hot air balloon. I
crossed the street to investigate. A lady with
two small children was already enquiring about entrance fees. She was informed it would be €5 each, €15 for three of them.
No concession for small children. She asked if the event was worth the money. Would the children enjoy the experience? I asked what the experience was about. The ticket girl advised us there had been
extremely positive reviews. She
tried to explain the installation but when she was confronted with blank expressions
she told us we would have to experience the venue for ourselves but assured us we would enjoy it immensely. Not convinced we tentatively bought our tickets and headed for Kilkenny
Castle Park.
TUNNELS CONNECTING DOMES
An inflatable structure like an enormous
medieval bouncy castle had been installed in the centre of Castle Park. Not a hot air balloon in sight. I was tempted to run back to the kiosk and
ask for a refund but I steadied myself and forged ahead. On
arrival at the entrance to the ‘luminarium’ we were asked to remove our
shoes. One of the assistants lifted a
flap at the entrance to the inflated structure and a world of coloured light and calming sound enveloped us as we stepped inside.
VISITORS RELAX IN ONE OF THE DOMES AND BELOW CEILING OF ONE OF THE DOMES
Miracoco luminarium was built by Architects of Air in 2011. It is a monumental installation. We travelled through a labyrinth of tunnels and cavernous domes. Visitors move in a medium of saturated and subtle hues. Redolent of the Lotus Temple of India it features spiral lattices to create a display of scintillating points of light on a field of iridescent hues. There are no actors, no musicians, in fact no performers at all. The show is the venue itself. The domes are at least 10 metres high and provide focal points. Tunnels connect the domes and determine the journey the visitor will take. The luminarium also features ‘pods’ or alcoves where visitors sit or lie and relax.
PODS FOR RELAXATION
The vast
luminarium is made of thin, grey plastic less than 1mm thick with translucent
seams to create a unique sensory experience.
Daylight filters through the coloured parts and reflects on the grey
inside. The ambient soundtrack isn’t
intrusive and even when the weather is cloudy an amazing radiance comes
through, which means Miracoco can be used in any weather.
Visitors can find a quiet a pod to relax, practise yoga, meditate or even sleep. After about ten minutes exploring tunnels and domes everybody is horizontal. It is the most relaxing space I have ever had the pleasure to enter. I spent half an hour relaxing in one of the pods. There is no time limit. I returned to the outside world refreshed and felt completely rested as if I had slept soundly for hours. A lady I spoke to said she was extremely stressed at the moment and she was going to return to the luminarium to unwind every day during the festival. I wonder if she did.
Visitors can find a quiet a pod to relax, practise yoga, meditate or even sleep. After about ten minutes exploring tunnels and domes everybody is horizontal. It is the most relaxing space I have ever had the pleasure to enter. I spent half an hour relaxing in one of the pods. There is no time limit. I returned to the outside world refreshed and felt completely rested as if I had slept soundly for hours. A lady I spoke to said she was extremely stressed at the moment and she was going to return to the luminarium to unwind every day during the festival. I wonder if she did.
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