mixed plastic sheeting, acrylic, aluminum and stainless steel hardware, electronics.
3’ x 3’ x 4’6” and 5’ x 5’ x 6’6”
Bubble Quilt is an immersive inflatable installation and lighting concept quilted from reclaimed waste plastics. An assemblage of hand-crafted inflated modules embrace and abstract a gridded plan, presenting a soft glow to the space and illuminating surface patterning drawn from traditional quilt square motifs.
An exploration of craft and lightness, Bubble Quilt is a playful nod to the aspirations and shortcomings of utopic inflatable ideology, exploring the functional capacity and limitations of this expansive medium. The work invites us to consider plastic as a magical substance fallen from grace, its transmutable and contentious qualities holding space for a plastic future in which inflatables exist and thrive in our built environment. By pressing, patching, cutting, and quilting the discarded materials held within Bubble Quilt, Studio Rat presents a nuanced reflection on the material accumulation in which we are immersed. Inflated conditions of compression and release are presented to visitors, inviting them to engage with the work and place themselves amongst these living, breathing entities.
Presented in 2025 DesignTO Festival. Awarded a Juror’s Choice Award.