A bright red ball might not seem like art, but blown up to a massive 15-feet-tall and weighing just 250 pounds, wedged into unexpected places around the world, it becomes a playful and engaging artistic intervention. As reported by the Huffington Post, Brooklyn-based artist Kurt Perschke‘s The RedBall Project, rolling since 2001, has been on the move this summer, last being seen at the Les Tombées de la Nuit arts festival, in Rennes, France, wedged into an archway at the local opera house.

As a piece of giant inflatable public art, the RedBall brings to mind Florentijn Hoffman’s Rubber Duck—but this is a far more hands-on experience, with spectators encouraged to physically engage with the piece by touching it or even bouncing off it.

Kurt Perschke, The RedBall Project, at the Les Tombées de la Nuit arts festival in Rennes, France.
Photo: Kurt Perschke.

“On the surface, the experience seems to be about the ball itself as an object, but the true power of the project is what it can create for those who experience it,” Perschke said in an interview with the Huffington Post.

A burst of color that stands out in any city, the RedBall has been everywhere from Paris to Perth, and the artist sees no reason to let its journey end.

“The urban environment is overbuilt and full of possibilities, and the project is about seeing the sculptural spaces of a city. The humor and charisma of the piece allow it access to the city and invites others into its story,” Perschke told DesignBoom. “I think it’s essential for public work to do more than be ‘outdoors’—it needs to live in the public’s imagination.”

Next stop? The Galway International Arts Festival, July 17–23.