For this assignment, I choose Florentijn Hofman’s giant inflatable duck sculpture series Rubber Duck. These ducks have the classic “bathtub rubber ducky” look, down to the bubbly shape and bright yellow body. These ducks have floated in various bodies of water around the world. His first display of the rubber duck was in France, but one aspect that I thought was particularly interesting was that the first appearance in the United States was actually in Pittsburgh in 2013! I had previously read in the news about this duck being installed in cities around the world so I thought it was especially fitting for this assignment because of how global this sculpture series is. Hofman said that this series is supposed to represent togetherness in global waters. I find these rubber ducks really amusing because they’re such a universal icon. To many, the rubber duck is a symbolism of playfulness and youth which I think draws in a big crowd.
I was really interested in learning more about the construction of the ducks. They are made of PVC that are sewn together with sewing machines. The duck is kept inflated with a fan inside of its body. It seems to be fairly in line with how you construct a normal inflatable except that it is of course, extremely large scale, robust, and very waterproof, including the electric wiring that has to power the fan. I think it is super fascinating that the rubber duck series is kind of a simple idea, but it remarkably brings a lot of entertainment to people everywhere and is remembered over time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_Duck_(sculpture)#Design