The three of us--Ms. B, Mr. H. and I--were uneasy when, walking through Davis Square on our way to a friend's book party, we saw children thrashing about inside these huge plastic bubbles at the Art Beat Festival, which we ignored: there wasn't much art. The temperature was in the nineties; the sun cooked the plastic; sunlight flared off the plastic. The bubbles turned and collided.
We spoke up about the child who appeared to be exhausted--a small boy with fair hair--and were told the rule: children under two and under are not allowed. This boy was older than two but small. Finally his father and the attendant released him.
The older children could take it--the falls, the bumps.
There were air holes, small air holes.
As the bubble turned and the child flopped, thrashed, slipped and slid, the bubble took a little water, making the concave surface even more slippery.
Have you seen this amusement, which was not amusing to me?
Mim,
ReplyDeleteBumper Bubbles or some sordid version of coma?
They probably had chocolate for breakfast and are treated to a cocktail of mind-altering drugs to contain their 'spiritedness' before school.
You gotta love it.
John
John:
ReplyDeleteOh, this strange world. The bumper bubbles might well be one cause of "attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder." Thrash in a bubble then take your ritalin.
Maybe we're all thrashing in our bubbles.
Yours for soap bubbles with rainbow windows,
Mim
Ooh, Mim, these bubbles give off a most disconcerting note of 'plastic prison'. They make me feel claustrophobic and slightly panicky!
ReplyDeleteWhat a bizarre activity... water and water-play (IMHO) have everything to do with plunging, patterns, prisms... direct contact with the element itself, at least? (One of the reasons I find wetsuits slightly disconcerting.)
Soap bubbles with rainbow windows? Definitely!
L, C x
Is it some bizarre attempt to emulate life in utero? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Mim. It seems extreme, especially under a hot sun.
gee, I thought they looked really fun! We were there around 4 and yes it was hot, but all the kids looked like they were having a great time. I was a little bit jealous actually.
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ReplyDeletemimi k: you must have seen the bubbles from a different angle. The hour might have made a difference, but any hour wouldn't have made it for me: not to my taste, those bubbles.
ReplyDeleteClaire, yes, very nervous-making for me too. I like some rain on my face. You must, too, as long as it's not hurricane rain.
Doesn't sound easy or comfortable at all to me...
ReplyDeleteWe have the same kind of "amusement" in Brighton. I think the children inside the bubbles were having fun, but I didn't really see their faces. I'm glad you rescued the little one.
ReplyDeleteHoly Christ this is terrifying
ReplyDeletexo