Video and pictures: It's the light fantastic in Telford
[gallery] With its dramatic design and silver exterior it looks like a giant alien space ship has landed in Shropshire. And inside it is even stranger – a multi-coloured attack on the senses that leaves visitors wide-eyed.
This is the world of the Mirazozo Luminarium, a new giant art installation that has landed in Shropshire for the bank holiday weekend.
From the outside it resembles a strange assembly of bouncy castles.
But step inside and you are taken into a man-made cavern of colour.
The artwork was today continuing to entertain crowds at Telford's Southwater.
It has been created by members of the group Architects of Air, who say they are inspired by natural geometry and Islamic architecture.
Mayor of Telford Leon Murray was among the first to enter the inflatable exhibit, which takes a day to assemble.
Like all visitors, he was required to take off his shoes as a precaution against punctures.
He said: "It is really wonderful.
"When you are inside you feel very relaxed and at peace, there is a real sense of calm."
The wonder of the artwork is that it can be blown up like a giant bouncy castle, which enables it to pop up at temporary exhibitions.
Artistic director Alan Parkinson designed the piece that is at Southwater for the bank holiday weekend. He said: "My intention was to create a space that inspires a sense of wonder in whoever goes inside. I think it taps into fundamental feelings and that makes it simple to understand and experience, all you need to do is keep an open mind when you go into it.
"I know people struggle to describe what it is like inside, but the best description I have heard is that is like a cross between a womb and a cathedral."
The luminarium is constructed from a specially made PVC and the delicate nature of its hand-made construction means visitors have to enter barefoot.
It takes a day to set-up and once inflated the interior is lit entirely by natural light, which in places appears almost fluorescent in intensity.
Visitors enter a structure that has tunnels linking the six different zones, which are the airlock, green dome, red dome, centre dome, blue dome and tree.
Ben Simpson, 30, from Lawley, was visiting the exhibit with his fiance Katie Potter and said it was good to see something different in Telford.
He said: "Katie described it as like being in the film Honey I Shrunk The Kids, but we both feel it was a relaxing experience."
Liz Frost, from Hadley, works at the Holiday Inn, part of the Southwater event group, and was visiting the luminarium with colleagues.
She said: "The light colours create different feelings, I found green relaxing but red felt much noisier.
"Other shopping centres across the country have quirky attractions and I think we need things like this here, its a very interesting piece of work."
Kuldip Sahota, the leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, visited the luminarium and said: "It has only been in this country a few times and we are lucky to get it. Inside it reminds me of a 1970s science-fiction film, even the music matches in with that mood."
Located opposite the Southwester library, the Mirazozo luminarium is open from midday until 6pm every day until August 31.
Tickets cost £4 for adults and £3 for children. There are discounts for those who pre-book.
