A giant transparent box sits in the center of a grand plaza in Bilbao, Spain. Within it, a white, balloon-like sphere slowly and progressively grows to 10 meters (around 33 feet) in diameter over the course of four days. Crowds gather in anticipation. colapso

“Eventually,” the installation’s caption explains, “the mounting pressure within the globe caused its surface to explode, revealing for a fleeting instant a huge and perfect sphere of red smoke.”

Filmed at 1000 images per second, the brief moment is preserved as something more observable in this minute and a half slow-motion video. Why did the smoke take the shape of the sphere? What happened to the smoke after the video ends? What does the moment represent?

Colapso, created by Spanish urban artist SpY, was exhibited in Bilbao’s Teatro Arriaga Square in 2022. Via Widewalls:
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“The self-taught artist began on the streets creating graffiti in the mid-eighties on the streets of Madrid. However, over the years, he became interested in exploring new forms. Specifically, by incorporating ordinary objects and the city’s elements, he began creating installations that inspire contemplation.”

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Source: Colapso by SpY reveals “a huge and perfect sphere of red smoke”