Originally Published: 2009-06-21

Kurt Perschke’s The Redball Project

A giant red ball right in the heart of the city placed in a park or wedged into the architecture of a square and discovered on the usual route to work or home. After bouncing around Barcelona and Chicago, this giant red ball finally made it to Toronto, where it served as The Redball Project — part of Luminato, the city’s arts and creativity festival, which closed its 10-day run this past Sunday June 14.
The red sphere caught the attention of crowds at Nathan Phillips Square on the first day of the Luminato Festival and appeared in a different part of the GTA every day for the duration of the fest.
The Redball Project is the brainchild of Chicago artist Kurt Perschke. After working at museums and galleries, Perschke followed his instinct to recreate the atmosphere of unexpected museum discovery in an outside place and thereby create an unforeseen link with the environment.
Perschke’s project explores specific urban and historical areas of Toronto. His goal was to refocus attention on forgotten spaces, and to reinvent the backdrops on which our daily lives play out.
“The strangest thing I noticed today is that tourists think the Redball is part of the city landscape,” said one Luminato volunteer at City Hall.
The best part of the Project is the interaction between the sphere, the public, and the environment. After initial hesitation, curious passersby move in closer to touch it, play with it, and take photographs. The more adventurous throw themselves onto it and bounce back as if on a vertical trampoline. Needless to say, kids adore it.
More than 100 radio and television stations and newspapers worldwide covered The Redball Project.
This year, Perschke’s busy schedule includes his first set design for New York choreographer Kate Weare. A book and film are already underway.

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