CHICAGO _ It looks like the pigs won't fly after all _ at least for now.
The plan to install four golden pig-shaped balloons to block the sign on Chicago's Trump Tower in a one-day protest planned for September was deflated by the city, which denied the design company a permit, the firm said.
The 30-foot-by-15-foot helium balloons _ part of the proposed art installation called "Flying Pigs on Parade: A Chicago River Folly" and designed by Chicago-based New World Design _ were intended to be tethered to a construction barge in the Chicago River to cover President Donald Trump's last name on the tower's southeast facade.
But the balloons will have to stay grounded until at least next year. The city has denied the firm's request for a docking permit in front of the Trump Tower, citing concerns that the installation could potentially block heavy summer commercial and recreational river traffic, the company said in a news release. The city's Department of Transportation could not be reached for comment.
In addition, the costs estimated by the city for services including security and sanitation, for which the company would have to reimburse the city, were "substantially" higher than what the design team anticipated, the release said.
And time was tight. Even if the firm received city approval, it would take six weeks for the balloons to be fabricated and another two weeks for delivery, further pushing back the float date, according to a company blog post. "We've hit a timeline point where it's too late to fabricate, ship and float the balloons within a reasonably predictable weather window," design company partner Jeffrey Roberts said in the release.
Despite the lack of city approval, the firm said it plans to pursue the art installation next year.
"Given the continuing irrational nature of the political environment, our team remains committed to the message and deployment of the art installation," Roberts said.
The installation was inspired by Pink Floyd's "Animals" album and designed to be a visual interpretation of George Orwell's 1946 novella, "Animal Farm," according to the design firm.
"Primarily it serves to promote thoughtful, considered dialogue in a political climate that has become increasingly reactionary and divisive. The four pigs are literal representations of characters in Orwell's novella, but they incorporate other references as well, ranging from a nod to Trump's alleged "Miss Piggy" comment (directed toward a former Miss Universe) to the Trump penthouse interior color scheme, the firm said in a blog entry posted in June.
The Flying Pigs on Parade website, www.flyingpigsonparade.org, will remain operational and continue to accept donations "as long as the project maintains forward momentum," the release said. The fundraising effort had a $250,000 goal.
If the project does not move forward, New World Design said it will transfer the money raised to charities, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
