Have you ever wanted to walk through the clouds, or daydreamed about playing in them?
I took my boys to experience the foamy bubble art installation–A retrospective view of the pathway by Roger Hiorns–at Laguna Gloria last weekend, and it was more fun than we’ve had in a long time. I had never been to Laguna Gloria before, but was excited to see that it is right next door to Mayfield Park (one of our favorite places).
We were greeted by this nice fellow upon arrival, so I knew right away that our visit would be a spectacular one:
Looking Up, by Tom Friedman
The grounds at Laguna Gloria are stunning and we enjoyed our walk to find the bubbles. We love big, funky trees!
We got there at 1 p.m., just as the giant tubes were beginning to effervesce. They ran for about an hour. At first, the bubbles didn’t pour out much, except for a little section in the middle. We weren’t sure what to expect.
Foam from the artwork A retrospective view of the pathway, by Roger Hiorns
But they kept building up and up, and so did our excitement and anticipation.
The kids and grown-ups couldn’t wait for the giant puffy cloud of bubbles to fall!
My kids had no trouble finding plenty of bubbles coming from the middle of the two tubs. They were soaked in no time!
There were many times where I couldn’t even see them anymore. I had to follow the giggles!
Then the giant puffy cloud of bubbles was about to fall:
Once the tower of bubbles fell, the adults were brave enough to play with them too.
Then the other side toppled over! The kids tried to carry the massive bubble cloud around before the wind swept it away:
The cool thing about the exhibit, which made it truly feel like a work of art, was how much the bubbles resembled clouds. When the wind picked them up, the bubbles would float up and look like the clouds were going back up into the sky, after a brief visit with us on Earth. There were moments that were downright magical.
Another bubble tower, about to fall:
My kids couldn’t get enough of the bubbles and we stayed for the full hour. We even lingered after it was over for a little while. The boys didn’t want it to end, even though they were both shivering and had blue lips!
Where else can you find photo opportunities quite like these?
Are you getting the gist of how much foam there actually was? Because there was a lot!
So many great bubble hats!
Playing in the clouds!
Foam art sculptures:
Forming a cloud to release into the sky:
I heard just as many squeals and shrieks of delight from the adults as I did the children when we were there, proving that this installation appeals to people of all ages. It’s fun, it’s interactive, and it’s beautiful. Remember to bring a towel and a change of clothes – you will get soaked, but it’s totally worth it!
A retrospective view of the pathway is activated at Laguna Gloria every Saturday at 1 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m., and Tuesday at 4 p.m. for the duration of the exhibition. The remaining dates are January 9, 10, 12, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24. The address is 3809 W. 35th St, Austin. Tuesdays offer FREE admission to the grounds, and this Saturday, January 9, 2016 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. the Museum is hosting a FREE event for families–Home Tweet Home–so that would be the perfect day to go! Go make a birdhouse at 11 a.m. and then stick around to play in the foamy fun at 1 p.m. (Regular admission to Laguna Gloria is $5 for adults; $3 for students. Kids under 18 and military are always FREE.)
For more information, visit The Contemporary Austin website.
