The force of plastic: a dive on to the (dis)enchanting inflatables of the Eventstructure Research Group

The members of the Eventstructure Research Group (ERG) pioneered inflatable art and design in the late 1960s. Attracted to the qualities of plastic, the group discovered that it could be glued or welded, filled with air, and used in sculptural and architectural ways. With their soft and light air-filled plastic structures, ERG rejected the ‘hard’ and heavy materials traditionally associated with sculpture and architecture. Significantly, their plastic structures were meant to be touched, moved and interacted with by their audiences. In this way, they pushed – or softened – the boundaries of art and design. This article examines the role and force of plastic in the context of the inflatable and participatory projects of ERG in the 1960s and 1970s. With the help of the concept of ‘vibrant matter’ as developed by Jane Bennett, I explore what plastic enables or disables in relation to artistic practice and its reception in the work of ERG – for both artists and audience members. Specifically, I discuss the social and political effects of the use of this material in order to examine the ‘politics of plastic’ in their artistic production.