Adrian Blackwell

Inflatable carpet, a sculpture that covers the entire floor of a room, transforms the floor surface into a topographic landscape. Once inflated, the floor of the room has a slope ranging from one to two feet high towards the centre. When people first enter the space, they are drawn to the carpet's tactile qualities. Acting as a conduit for physical and verbal communication, the carpet transforms the room into a piece of furniture.

This project integrates architectural and artistic disciplines in an innovative performance by making the floor of a room (gallery) far more visual and alive. In the crossover from two-dimensional flat construction to the three-dimensional realm of live performance with the visitor's spontaneous act on it, the inflated carpet changes the pre-conceived notions of a floor, space, and furniture.

The inflatable carpet consists of a deep pile carpet, an inflatable rubber mat, and a steel baseboard that runs around the perimeter, securing the two surfaces.