Florentijn Hofman

Faux Inflatable Ducks

Remember that amazing, giant inflatable rubber duck that was hanging out in Sydney Harbor a while back? It’s still making its way around the world—Florentijn Hofman’s sculpture also made a stop in Hong Kong this year:

duck_hong kong 1

duck_hong kong 2

(How I wish I could have seen it in my second favorite city!)

But the funny thing is, since then,В China’s knockoff industry has been churning out look-a-like ducks. Though Chinese officials aren’t thrilled about that, at least 10 replicas have been spotted inВ Wenzhou

Visitors look at a scaled replica of the rubber duck by Dutch conceptual artist Florentijn Hofman as employees try to pull it upright on a lake at a park in Shenyang

Shanghai…

A scaled replica of the "Rubber Duck" by Dutch conceptual artist Florentijn Hofman is seen along a street next to a vendor waiting for customers in Shanghai

and Luoyang, to name a few places.

A labourer walks in water after setting up a scaled replica of the rubber duck, by Dutch conceptual artist Hofman, on an artificial lake in Luoyang

I’m wondering how many more are floating (ha) around out there!

(Top two photos viaВ Florentijn Hofman; bottom three by Reuters via Atlantic Cities)

Happy Friday

sydney harbor duck

Isn’t this image perfect for a Friday? I stumbled across it a few days ago and couldn’t stop smiling at it. This giant rubber duck is actually an inflatable sculpture by DutchВ artist Florentijn Hofman. It’s five stories tall andВ will be chillin’ in Sydney’s Darling Harbour through January 23.

I think the duck’s adorable—and I love how this piece is so simple, yet has such universal appeal. Apparently, that’s what Hofman was going for when he created it. As he explained:

We are living on a planet, we are one family, and the global waters are our bathtub, so it joins people…Its purpose is to do no more than amaze.

And I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for the weekend! I have very little on my agenda and am pretty happy about that—being the new kid at work is super-exciting but also a tad tiring!

What are your plans?

(Image via Metro UK)