philip luschen's at zero the air is yours installation takes you to the skies

philip luschen’s at zero the air is yours installation takes you to the skies
all images courtesy of philip luschen

’at zero the air is yours’ is a permanent installation in the landscape of the dutch municipality of bernheze created by artist philip luschen. the construction covers a few square meters and consists of concrete pavement tiles, a countdown clock, a chair, a lamp and an information sign. together these parts compose a peculiar station where at certain set times one can take to the skies by winning a hot air balloon that departs from the permanent installation.

the station lacks a ticket machine, only the countdown clock can give the ride to the skies

the station, named ballonvaart bernheze (balloon ride bernheze), lacks a ticket machine. only the person seated on the golden chair when the countdown clock reaches zero is the lucky winner and can immediately depart from one of the surrounding meadows. the countdown clock can be monitored day and night. who takes the ride is up to the strategy of the participants, only the most ingenious solo operations will lead to victory.

a golden chair has been placed for the lucky winner who is sitting there when the clock reaches zero

artist philip lüschen lets estranging situations arise in daily life and allows participation to play a large part in his site-specific work. lüschen’s ‘at zero the air is yours’ carries a promise which seduces the audience to participate, transforming them into players in an open-ended story. ‘at zero the air is yours’ was created by order of the municipality bernheze and in cooperation with the bkkc, brabants kenniscentrum kunst en cultuur, tilburg.

location: corner of hanenbergsestraat and schaapsdijk in loosbroek, the netherlands.

an information and rules sign has been placed in the installation 

the countdown clock can be monitored day and night 

the installation’s back view shows a tranquil space for waiting

this is the view you would get by sitting on the golden chair

the light signage raises people’s attention due to its bright blue color

the installation at night is completely illuminated and both the clock and balloon sign can be seen from far

this is an installation for the patient ones that want to reach the sky

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom