Dali Elephants Walking Over Paris, 2004-5 (unrealised).
Materials: Helium lifting cell encased in structural fabric envelope.
Many iterations of the structures were developed and a range of different materials explored. The volume:lift ratio proved to be an intractable problem and could only be solved with extensive engineering tests. Due to the highly irregular and non-aerodynamic shapes the only reliable way of evaluating their performance was to wind tunnel test scale models - a prohibitively expensive exercise. To be continued…
