‘Double Ducks’ is the name of Florentijn Hofman’s latest artwork, which consists of two yellow rubber ducks of eighteen meters high. But on Saturday, the day of the unveiling in the port of Hong Kong, there is little ‘double’ left. The organization had to deflate one of the two mega ducks.
“During routine checks, staff discovered that one of the rubber ducks was overstretched due to the hot weather and rising air pressure,” writes doubleducks_official on Instagram. “Because it would take time before a repair ship could arrive, it was decided that the air had to be removed immediately by loosening the seams.” The result is a huge rubber duck floating next to a yellow bag.
Ten years ago, Hofman, a visual artist with a studio in Arnhem, took his work ‘Rubber Duck’ all over the world. The duck knows no borders, does not discriminate and has no political connotation, the maker said at the time. However, the duck is “soft, friendly and suitable for all ages.”
Double happiness
When the organizer from Hong Kong asked Hofman to bring the duck back for an anniversary visit, Hofman hesitated, he said this week to local media. “But then I thought about the world and everything we need after the pandemic and everything, and I thought, let’s double it. So I brought two ducks, to bring double happiness.”
The second duck is not yet definitively lost. Ten years ago, its predecessor in Hong Kong also deflated, but then the bird was repaired again after a few days.
also look at this photo series of the rubber duck on a world tour