How time flies. It may be hard to believe, but it’s been 10 years since one of Bristol’s steepest hills was transformed into a giant slide.
Whether you’re one of the lucky few who’ve raced down Park Street on inflatable mattresses or watched in bemusement from the sides, that’s when artist Luke Jerram came up with the crazy idea to transform one of the city’s steepest and most iconic streets into a giant, fun playground.
The 90 meter slide was made of plastic sheeting and its route was lined with 300 to 400 bales of hay. It was made slippery with water and dishwashing liquid, and some 360 people went down it head first.
The event inspired the entire city, attracted national attention and made headlines around the world.
Luke Jerram has of course been busy since then, he brought the moon to Bristol and then later brought the earth to the city.
Here we return to the Park Street slide.
A participant on a Lilo slides down a giant water slide installed on Park Street on May 4, 2014 in Bristol. The 90m (295ft) slide was made from plastic sheets, hay bales, water and washing up liquid and was designed by artist Luke Jerram.
The three hundred ticket holders, selected from nearly 100,000 candidates, took turns to slide down the slide under the gaze of hundreds of spectators lining the street closed to traffic.
(Image: Getty Images)
A participant on an inflatable mattress slides down a giant water slide installed on Park Street on May 4, 2014.
(Image: Getty Images)
300 ticket holders were selected from nearly 100,000 applicants. Here’s one ready to go on the slide
(Image: Getty Images)
That day, hundreds of spectators lined up in the street closed to traffic to enjoy the spectacle.
(Image: Getty Images)
One of the participants was sliding down the giant water slide on an inflatable mattress in May 2014.
(Image: Getty Images)
It was a crazy idea, but it certainly put Bristol on the map and generated some fun headlines around the world.
(Image: Getty Images)
An aerial photo of a participant sliding down the water slide on Park Street
-(Image: Getty Images)
Luke Jerram has returned to town with several other projects since that day ten years ago. Not only did he bring Bristol’s famous floating harbor in 2019, but two years earlier he also brought the piano track to the city. He also installed a giant representation of our planet called Gaia at the University of Bristol in 2019.
(Image: Getty Images)
In 2021, the artist unveiled a giant reconstruction of the planet Mars and this year, on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the Covid confinement, the artist flew a few Specially made kites at a small memorial.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
At the time he told BristolLive: “This project will be a way to support and connect the city’s community and flying kites can be a form of healing for those who participate and those who watch.”
(Image: Getty Images)
There have been calls to bring the giant slide back to Bristol. In an article published on its social networks, Best of Bristol asked the same question. Would people like to see the Park Street Slip n Slide event return to the city?
(Image: Getty Images)
While some said it was a fun experience, others were a little more circumspect, with some residents who remember the event from 10 years ago saying it wasn’t all that after all .
One resident said: “It was too slow and kept stopping! It should have come from the top of Park Street. »
(Image: Getty Images)
Another agreed, adding: “They, it needed better water pressure to make it go faster, because this hill is definitely steep enough that it would go fast enough with the right water pressure.
“But we also had to think about the kids who were participating, so it had to be safe enough that they could get down pretty quickly… Bring it back! It was a great experience.”
(Image: Getty Images)
One punter thought he should be brought back, but not on a normal Sunday. He added: “Christmas Day yes. Or the Easter holidays. Not a normal day, including Sunday. »
(Image: Getty Images)
It’s hard to believe it was already 10 years ago. But on May 4, 2014, Bristol became a waterslide theme park for a day!
(Image: Getty Images)
CONTINUE READING
