Big red ball no bust after bouncing back from Tainan bursting

Taipei, April 5 (CNA) A giant inflatable red ball created by American artist Kurt Perschke bounced back from an accidental bursting to wow art lovers with an appearance at Tainan's Xinhua Council House.

The red ball, which was scheduled to be showcased at 10 a.m. near the Xinhua Council House, constructed in 1934 during the Japanese colonial period, burst about 10 minutes before the exhibition was set to begin after being pierced by scaffolding, according to local officials.

Fortunately, the damage was repairable, allowing the original ball to be reinstated for display at 3 p.m., said Hsieh Shih-yuan (謝仕淵), director-general of the Tainan City government's culture bureau.

Hsieh said that to make up for the visitors, some of whom started to line up as early as 9 a.m., the show was extended for another hour to 6 p.m.

However, in exchange for expediting the restoration process, the ball, originally intended to be positioned approximately 1.8 meters above the ground, was instead placed directly on it, organizers said.

"The RedBall Project," considered the world's longest-running street artwork, is currently being conducted in Tainan between March 29 and April 7.

Among the locations the ball already made an appearance included the Stone Arch, the National Cheng Kung University Old Main Library and Fort Zeelandia.

Since 2001, the RedBall project has traveled to more than 40 cities globally, including Paris, Montreal, Sydney, Tokyo and Taipei, which it visited in April 2009, according to the artwork's website.