Lithuanian pavilion "Airtime" at the XXI Triennale di Milano 2016

"Airtime" by Julijonas Urbonas is a hybrid participatory and kinetic installation which fuses elements of gut-oriented architecture with elements of an anti-gravitational machine and amusement ride. Lurking beneath a floor, a custom-built hydraulic lift is installed. Waiting to detect members of the unsuspecting public standing on it, it drops abruptly by half a metre causing them to experience episodic sensations of weightlessness, before slowly resetting upwards, repeating the process in a rhythmic manner.

In the technical vocabulary of amusement ride design, the term “air-time” refers to the feeling of weightlessness experienced on a roller coaster or other amusement rides. This effect is achieved either by harnessing upward inertia or free-fall.The project “Airtime” is based on the latter method. Despite lasting just a fraction of a second, the sensation is met with screams and the need suddenly for some more air.

http://julijonasurbonas.lt/triennale-di-milano-2016/

http://airtime.lt/