If you’re walking around in the Ped Mall this Saturday, don’t be alarmed if you find a giant, inflatable pyramid sitting in the middle of Black Hawk Mini Park. Public Space One is hosting “The People’s Pyramid,” an “outward expression” of the Reframing the City exhibition, which is on display at PS1 until September 27.
The three-sided pyramid is approximately 16 feet tall and measures 40 feet wide at the base.
At 10 a.m. on September 20, PS1 will begin inflating the structure, with an open house and other art activities beginning at 11 a.m. Supplies will be provided for those who want to make their mark with text or images on the temporary sculpture until 9 p.m. when deflation begins. Guests can also create their own mini-sculptures to add to the structure.
At 3 p.m., a gelatin printing activity using “found materials to create textured prints” will take place. Following the printmaking workshop, artists will improvise with radio waves to create a liberal approximation of John Cage’s Imaginary Landscape No. 4, with a historic Iowa City photo slideshow to follow.
The Reframing the City exhibition looks to reexamine the world and the ways which we interact with it. The exhibit is sponsored by ArtsShare, Public Space One, UI Office of Outreach and Engagement, Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities, as well as the UI Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
The pyramid will be the final, fleeting installment in the exhibition, which will culminate in a reception brunch on Sunday, September 21 at Public Space One from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the inflation event takes place on Friday. The event actually takes place Saturday, Sept. 20. Little Village apologizes for this error.
