Text and photos by Daniel Krieger

If you walk past Damrosch Park now, on the south side of the Lincoln Center campus (West 62nd Street & Amsterdam Avenue), you will see a large gray, puffy structure 150 feet in length that looks like it could be a prototype for a housing complex on Mars. But it is neither housing nor Martian. It is Daedalum, an art installation called a “luminarium.” As explained by Shanti Freed, one of the installation’s managers: “In the same way that an aquarium holds water, a luminarium holds light. That is the idea. It’s essentially an inflatable sculptural interactive artwork.” 

While sculpture is typically viewed from the outside, this one is meant to be explored by going within its 19 domes, connected by a network of tunnels. And that’s what hundreds of people turned out for on a chilly Saturday when the exhibition opened to the public on April 6th.

After removing your shoes, you enter an airlock chamber where you encounter a guest-experience rep who explains the rules: “no running, jumping or climbing.” Because the sculpture is supported by air, like a gigantic balloon, the entrance/exit door can only be open for moments at a time.

Entering the luminarium is like stepping into an alternate dimension. Instead of the sounds of the city, you hear gentle ambient music mixed with the voices of others who are wandering through the space. Instead of concrete, you feel the soft plastic floor beneath your feet. And after passing through a few tunnels and seeing the colorful domes, you may wonder – what is this? Is it a labyrinth that leads to a Minotaur? A maze? A Habitrail for humans?

It is easy to get lost as you explore. But are you lost? Since you don’t know where you are going to begin with, it’s hard to say. There are no signs or arrows indicating which way to go and at every turn shadowy forking paths lead to another dome, each brilliantly illuminated by the primary colors – red, green or blue (and a bit of yellow as well). While the gray plastic that the structure is made of is opaque, the colored sections allow the sunlight to pass through, which creates the stunning illumination.

It appears that you are meant to abandon yourself to the experience, whatever it may be for you. And if you need help there are several guest experience reps who will guide you as they also patrol to make sure the rules are being followed. When asked for a suggestion regarding how to find one’s way out, one of the reps, Regina, said: “it’s a process of discovery.” The installation had just been open for an hour and she was still finding her bearings, she said, adding: “The longer I’m in here, the more disoriented I’m getting.”

“This is so cool!” said a man passing by with a toddler, who himself seemed to be in awe of the bright colors. Another dad walking by presented his son with a challenge, telling him: “You figure out how to get us out of here.”

Shanti Freed told WSR that the Architects of Air, the British-based company founded by Alan Parkinson, who designs the luminaria, tour all over the world. This ‘air sculpture’ is one of many luminaria they have created. Exhibitions of others are currently running in South Korea and Britain, and will soon be in New Zealand. Each one is unique. Daedalum was named for Daedalus, who in Greek mythology designed a labyrinth that kept a Minotaur in the center.

This is the company’s first time in New York, and since the space is designed to be highly inclusive, it is part of Lincoln Center’s 2024 Big Umbrella Festival. “It’s for everyone,” Freed said. “We like it when it’s full of a whole breadth of ages.”

When asked what it all means, she responded: “Isn’t the beauty of it that people can bring their own experience to it? Some people say it’s like being inside of a body, going through some arteries. Another will say it’s like a spaceship. It’s so lovely to have something that isn’t prescribed. Everyone can bring their imagination to it.”

After wandering around for a while, one thing that is clear is that this dreamy, sensory experience of being inside a sculpture is like no other.

Outside the airlock chamber, WSR spoke to Kerri, who had just emerged with her six-year-old daughter, Rosie. “It was immersive,” she said as she put her shoes on. “And the kids seemed to like it.” Rosie nodded in agreement and said she especially liked the “blue area.” They spent about 30 minutes wandering around inside, each taking pictures, after waiting for an hour to get in. “It was worth the wait,” Kerri said.

Daedalum is open to the public, for free, on a first-come first-serve basis, from 11 AM to 6 PM on: April 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st. For more information, click this link.

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