Does your living room look a little tired? Need a new domestic look? Look no further, for we have the answer: giant inflatables used during rock concerts – among them a massive Freddie Mercury and an outsized Brian May; and a terrifying teacher with a 36ft head used by Roger Waters during his 1990 performance of The Wall at the Berlin Wall.
They form part of an auction of inflatables built by Air Artists, renowned British prop builders. They are being put up for sale, creator Rob Harries told the BBC, because he has decided to change creative direction and start working with clay. “It’s time for someone else to take them for a walk,” he said.
Sadly, the star of the auction – Algie, the original inflatable pig that was flown from Battersea power station on the cover of Pink Floyd’s album Animals – has been withdrawn from sale. The auction will be held by Durrant’s via the-saleroom.com. Bidding opens on 5 September and closes on 15 September.
“I’m sad to see them go but they very rarely see the light of day and so I would be quite happy for someone else to take them for a walk,” Harries said. “The clearout has been quite cathartic, and brought back a lot of memories, but I do feel I’ve been there and done that now, and it’s time to move on.”
The inflatables were all made in white fabric, stitched by Harries’ partner, Shirley, and then painted.
Algie – described by Durrant’s as being “in poor condition” – was not just a piece of rock iconography, but once also triggered travel chaos in the south-east. The pig broke loose from its moorings in 1976, causing disruption and flight cancellations at Heathrow airport, before finally crashing to earth on a farm in Kent.
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