Why does the ephemeral hold such sway over us? Maybe it's because we relate to the passage of time and the inevitability of change. The flower that blooms then wilts, the candle which burns out- we enjoy and are entranced by them.
Yesterday evening, my in-laws and I lit something called "Wish Lanterns." My brother-in-law, Neil, and his wife, Melissa, bought them and brought them up for Bob's 73rd Birthday. They were beyond magical.
Originating in China perhaps as early as 3 BC, Sky Lanterns were first used in military applications as signaling devices. The paper lanterns would float up and stay illuminated for a relatively short period of time, then drift back down to earth once extinguished. This sounds not unlike a modern-day military signal flare. The lanterns eventually trickled into everyday civilian culture and have been a staple of Asian celebrations and festivals for centuries.
They have been making their way to the West, and I have seen them used in a variety of recent television commercials, typically evoking a sense of free-form, spontaneous, open air parties in support of some new alcoholic beverage.
We each lit a lantern of our own, waited a minute or so for the heat of the air to fill the balloon, then released them into the night sky. Most went straight up into the air, then caught a southerly breeze and zoomed out over the treetops and sleepy suburbs. It was amazing.
How can that same sense of wonder and amazement be put to use in architecture? How does one make an event-driven edifice or space without becoming relegated to pure spectacle?
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