Artist Creates "Packing Tape Playground" At Children's Museum

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Volunteers at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh are building a climbable sculpture from packing tape.

They're led by Minnesota artist Eric Lennartson, who calls his landscape of art and engineering "TapeScape."

"If you've ever stuck tape to itself, and you can't get it apart, that's what's holding this thing together," the artist explains. "We're putting tension in the tape. And it just gets stronger and stronger the more layers of tape we add."

They'll lay down at least 10 miles of tape before this project is completed.

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Taking the measure of the situation, if you unrolled that tape at the museum and stretched it as far as it would go, you could take it almost to Sewickley, to Wexford, or even Monroeville. Or if you choose, it would go all the way through Bridgeville, with enough left over to circle the town.

This is the Lennartson's eighth "TapeScape," including an earlier one at the Children's Museum.

Unlike the two long tunnels built for that installation in 2013, he says, "This time we crisscrossed the tunnels, so there's more climbing and discovery."

These tunnels of tape will be two stories tall.

"The whole thing moves almost like a three-dimension suspension bridge. So a little bit of force here gets picked up, and carried throughout the whole exhibit," Lennartson says.

It's a packing tape playground.

"TapeScape" will be kid-proofed and ready when the exhibit opens on Saturday.