During a hot Florida summer, at about ten, I found my
favorite thing to do at Silver Springs: the glass bottom boat. If you’ve
never done this before, you simply must experience the novelty of a glass
bottom boat trip. You sit in a boat and look down at what you are drifting
over, all the while staying dry and safe. In my experience, I remember looking
through the pane below to clearly see fish and rocks, as well as aging, green
statues
that had been submerged years prior. I felt I was discovering this
underwater world myself. There was little visual barrier, as I
didn’t have to
contend with the reflection of the surface of the water to see the environment
below me for what it was. And it was amazing.
Years later, as a teenager, I went on my first cruise. I was
too young to gamble and drink, as I was with my conservative family, but I
remember enjoying the idea of getting lost on the sea and being forced
to discover everything I could on one boat. My sisters and I had a blast. It
was less about the sea and where we were going, and more about the magic of the
vessel that took us there.
So digest that.
Last week a friend showed me a completely new idea that I
wonder if my grandchildren will add to their glass bottom boat and cruise ship-like
repertoire of adventures. It’s the concept of an air cruise, brought to us courtesy
of British design firm Seymourpowell. These air ships are ultra-modern,
floating resort hotels that give a gentlemanly nod to the 1930’s German
zeppelins.
Every once in a while, I come across something creative
that makes me slow down and nod. And seeing these space resorts did just that to me. And
this is why I love engineers. Not only are they our problem solvers, but they
are dreamers. They are the ones that say “Anything is possible. Just give me a
little while to figure out how to make it.” And they now say that an air cruise might be possible.
What I find fascinating about this, is that like so many
initially far-fetched inventions that have become reality, this one is sitting
dormant, merely waiting for a new material or construction model for this
hydrogen-levitated, solar powered ship to become air-worthy. The striking concept designs for the sky
resort resemble the interior spaces of some of the space-themed video games
I’ve played, and like some of the otherworldly places I’ve seen in NASA themed
books and Jetson’s cartoons. But
the setting for this invention is right here on earth, making the juxtaposition
frightfully tasty looking. And the business model for operating one of these
ventures isn’t out of this world either.
No one knows how to build this yet. But the important thing
is that it exists in our dreams. Our explorative nature has created a vacuum
for this invention. When Korean
based contractor Samsung Construction and Trading saw what the visionaries were
suggesting, they commissioned Seymorepowell to render the ideas in a computer
animation that is believable fantasy. The idea of leisurely floating over land
and sea while sipping cocktails in a three-story lounge with a transparent
bottom that allows you to see it all pass beneath you is like my glass bottom
boat in the sky, all grown up. Falling asleep in a sleek cabin with view of the clouds alone
must be like a magic carpet ride. The reality of home would seem dank and too
familiar upon return to the driveway after this.
Air cruises are a problem without a solution, or rather a
dream without a reality. But the part of me that gets excited about a
simulacrum-heavy ride at Disney is the same part that buzzes when I see
pictures of these ships. I want to take a ride. I want to see the earth this
way. Floating. Drifting. Feeling a little separated from home and experiencing
the horizon from a new scale and perspective.
In
a world where revenue models and budget concerns control reality as
much as science does, I can’t state the value of inspiration
enough. Wanting something to exist
is the invisible fuel that eventually drives it to be built in the physical world.
So thanks, Seymourpowell, for the inspiration. I’ll be floating all afternoon.
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