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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Daisy Jackson

A huge inflatable walk-in sculpture has appeared at Salford Quays - take a look inside

An enormous inflatable maze has appeared at Salford Quays, with dozens of domes and tunnels to explore.

The luminarium is at the piazza at MediaCityUK, and has been designed by Architects of Air for the Quays Culture Summer festival.

Inside the structure, known as Arboria, are three main domes, each decorated in tree-inspired motifs and dominated by one colour apiece.

The main dome towers at 10 metres tall and has been inspired by the Chapter House of York Minster.

The main dome at Arboria (Colin Horne - Manchester Evening News)

Lines of light that glow as brightly as neon cross the ceiling in the main dome.

The walls of the inflatable structure are less than 1mm thick in places, which allows natural light to flood in through the different-coloured materials.

(Colin Horne - Manchester Evening News)
Each dome in the Arboria is dominated by one colour (Colin Horne - Manchester Evening News)
(Colin Horne - Manchester Evening News)

Even on a grey drizzly day (fair few of them in Salford), it's an impressive construction.

The space has been designed to be as tranquil as possible, with nature-inspired sounds such as birds tweeting piped in to each dome.

(Colin Horne - Manchester Evening News)

It's free to visit the luminarium, which is in place as part of the Quays Festival 2019, running from May 30 until June 2.

Bringing the festival to a close on Sunday will be tightrope walker Chris Bullzini, who will walk across a high wire suspended far above the water between The Alchemist and MediaCity.

There will also be free dance workshops within the luminarium, and circus skills workshops in the MediaCityUK gardens.

Quays Festival 2019 is suitable for all ages - you can find out more at quaysculture.com

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