Art and culture
Giant inflatable pear sculpture for artist Tine Bech
Digital Inflatables made a giant pear-shaped inflatable sculpture printed with a world map for artist Tine Bech: the artwork The World Has Gone Pear Shaped, shown at Light Night Leeds on 12 and 13 October 2023. Lit from inside, it stood outdoors on a public square. The workshop later built a glowing inflatable cloud for the artist, shown at Winter Lights Canary Wharf in London.
What did Digital Inflatables make for artist Tine Bech?
A giant pear-shaped inflatable sculpture printed with a relief world map, which gives physical form to Tine Bech’s artwork The World Has Gone Pear Shaped.
The pear takes the colours of a globe: green and yellow land masses, darker oceans. Depending on where you stand, a different continent faces you.
At night the sculpture is lit from inside and glows turquoise. By day it shows its printed green surface, and visitors can walk right up to it and put a hand on it.
A video also shows it inflated in a sports hall, with a person standing against it for scale.
What is The World Has Gone Pear Shaped, shown at Light Night Leeds?
It is an artwork by Tine Bech, shown at Playhouse Square during Light Night Leeds on 12 and 13 October 2023.
That 19th edition of the Leeds light festival had the theme Future Dreaming.
Tine Bech runs a multidisciplinary art studio based in London, focused on public art, light installations and immersive environments.
Digital Inflatables worked with her again for Winter Lights Canary Wharf, held from 21 January to 1 February 2025 with free entry, where the workshop’s glowing inflatable cloud was on show.
A similar project? Describe it to our team.
Request a quoteHow does an artist get a custom inflatable sculpture made?
The artist brings a drawing, a model or a 3D file; the workshop turns it into a pattern, cuts and prints the fabric, sews it together and delivers the piece with its blower.
For a piece shown outdoors at night, plan from the start for a fabric that lets light from an internal lamp through, and for anchor points that hold the sculpture in the wind.
The print covers the whole surface: a map, a pattern or a gradient is printed straight onto the fabric panels before they are sewn.
Lead times and budgets for a custom piece are explained in the guide to custom inflatable lead times and the guide to custom inflatable prices.
Full specifications
| Artist | Tine Bech |
|---|---|
| Artwork | The World Has Gone Pear Shaped |
| Event | Light Night Leeds |
| Venue | Playhouse Square, Light Night Leeds |
| Object | giant inflatable pear |
| Year | 2023 |
Frequently asked questions
Who made Tine Bech’s inflatable pear?
Digital Inflatables, a workshop that designs and builds custom inflatable structures, made the sculpture for artist Tine Bech.
Where was the pear-shaped sculpture shown?
At Playhouse Square, during Light Night Leeds, on 12 and 13 October 2023.
Can an inflatable sculpture be lit at night?
Yes: with a light-diffusing fabric and lamps placed inside, the sculpture itself becomes a light source, like Tine Bech’s pear in Leeds.
Can visitors touch an inflatable sculpture shown outdoors?
Yes, if the fabric is sturdy enough and the blower keeps the pressure up: in the photos, visitors rest a hand on the sculpture. It still needs anchoring and clear space around it.
Does Digital Inflatables build inflatable art installations for artists?
Yes: the workshop builds inflatable artworks for artists, such as Tine Bech’s pear and her glowing cloud shown at Winter Lights Canary Wharf.
Credit to copy
To credit this project on your website or in an article: the line as plain text, then the same in HTML, ready to paste.
Plain text
Made by Digital Inflatables, https://digital-inflatables.com/magazine/en/projects/inflatable-pear-sculpture-tine-bech-leeds/
HTML
<a href="https://digital-inflatables.com/magazine/en/projects/inflatable-pear-sculpture-tine-bech-leeds/">Made by Digital Inflatables</a>Sources
- Digital Inflatables Instagram post instagram.com
- Digital Inflatables Instagram post instagram.com
- Digital Inflatables Instagram post instagram.com
- Light Night Leeds photo report (yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk) yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk
- News from Leeds (news.leeds.gov.uk) news.leeds.gov.uk
- Artist’s studio website (tinebech.com) tinebech.com
- Listing on ianvisits.co.uk ianvisits.co.uk
Drafted with AI assistance from the company’s verified facts, reviewed and approved by Jodoc Elmiger, founder and managing director of Digital Inflatables.
