Inflatable installation by Architects Of Air will arrive in south-east London with visitors able to experience its spaces from April 2-6, 2026
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Woolwich works is set to invite visitors to step out of the world and into a space of wonder, discovery and colour this spring.
Tickets recently went on sale to experience Luminarium: Myriad, the latest installation from Architects Of Air (AOA), which comes to the arts and events space in April.
Visitors enter the walk-through inflatable via an airlock to explore the structure’s winding pathways and vistas in stockinged feet as daylight shines through translucent panels.
The massive artwork is by AOA, a creative production company founded by artist and maker Alan Parkinson that has been creating inflatable installations since the 1990s.
The Nottingham-based organisation has its roots in a charitable project, which saw offenders tasked with building and repairing inflatable play equipment for kids.
Initially, Alan drove the minibus for the probation service and supervised part-time and then full-time.
going inside
He said: “The bouncy airbed we were using was quite tall – about six foot off the ground with a tube around it to break the children’s fall – and it was restrained by internal ropes.
“To fix it, I’d have to go inside it to carry out repairs.
“That wasn’t actually very healthy – working in a confined space with glue wasn’t great – but I survived.”
Aside from entering that inflatable structure, Alan drew inspiration from his “bible” – Sheet Metalwork For Welders – a book that dealt with the joining of different forms as well as other inflatable structures such as Colourscape on Clapham Common.
All these influences led to the construction of Alan’s first inflatable environment or Luminarium in 1986 and going on to experiment with more, still working under the auspices of the charity and culminating in the creation of Eggopolis.
This promenade performance space for mixed-ability actors toured the UK in 1990 and, while the charity was forced to close, Alan retained the structure and successfully toured it in Germany under the ownership of AOA.
Ever since, he and the now six-strong company, have been developing a lineage of installations and opening them to the public.
He said: “It typically takes about five months to build one and it’s, in some ways, a basic process.
“We make templates, cut out the PVC and glue the edges together.
“There’s a lot of teamwork involved and manual labour.
“Each new structure we create tries something different in the way we shape and construct them.
“Myriad, which is coming to Woolwich is quite a subtle structure.
“You don’t really know what you’re going to get until you blow it up and go inside.
“It’s lit principally from above with windows that let the light in too.
“We’ve punctuated some of the surfaces with translucent material to give them a star-like quality.
“When I first saw it, the main dome was a lovely surprise. We ask people to empty their minds.
“They might come with expectations but really we’re asking visitors to step inside and experience a sense of wonder, light and colour.
“Accompanying that, there may be a sense of inspiration and there’s always a wow factor when you first go in.
“Different people will take different things from the installation.
“Families and young children will have different experiences to an older person coming on their own, who may have a different kind of connection, for example.
“I think it’s often the children, rather than parents, who are enthused.
“It’s a good thing that they make adults come to something like this.”
key details: Luminarium: Myriad
Luminarium: Myriad is set to open at Woolwich Works at Royal Arsenal Riverside on April 2 with visitors able to explore the installation until April 6, 2026.
Tickets cost £8 per person or £28 for groups of four.
The experience will be open from noon-4pm daily
Find out more about the installation and book tickets here
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