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Giant bouncy house back for Artsplosure

Artsplosure, the major arts and crafts festival in downtown Raleigh, is next weekend. And it will feature a giant bouncy house looking structure.

Posted Updated
Levity III
By
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

I'll call it a bouncy house, though I'm almost absolutely certain that bouncing really isn't allowed.

But a bouncy house is exactly what your kids will be reminded of when you see Mirazozo, the latest creation from England's Architects of Air. It will be in Raleigh's City Plaza this coming week as part of Artsplosure, which is next weekend.

You might remember that a similar structure stopped in Raleigh in 2008 as part of Artsplosure's Art on the Edge festival. Thousands lined up to enter the large-scale, inflatable structure called a luminarium on Lichtin Plaza next to the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts.

Mirazozo is a 6,000-square-foot piece constructed of translucent vinyl and made of labyrinthine tunnels and spacious domes. It will feature several dodecadomes (domes based on the dodecahedron) and a large central dome, which is the largest the Architects of Air have ever built.

Mirazozo also uses illuminated seams, which create a web-like effect on the interior surfaces structure.

My husband and I took our older daughter, then 3, to the festival in 2008 and all had a blast inside the luminarium. It's truly an unusual experience. Breathtaking and relaxing at the same time.

Mirazozo will be open to the public this Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 7 .m. and Saturday and Sunday (May 15 and May 16) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Admission is $5 per person, and tickets will be available at the luminarium entrance on City Plaza during opening hours.

If it's anything like last time, I'd get there early.

Artsplosure attracts more than 80,000 to downtown Raleigh in and around Moore Square and City Market. This year’s event will feature the Art Market with more than 170 juried visual artists and craftsmen from across the country. In addition, live performances, hands-on activities and entertainment for kids and more.

Stay tuned for more next week about the festival.

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