Rubber Duck Deflates in Hong Kong Harbor – Dutch Designer’s Floating Art Project Disappoints Tourists

One of the two huge inflatable yellow rubber ducks in Hong Kong harbor has deflated after just one day. It is not immediately clear how this could have happened. The heat may have played a role. It is over 30 degrees in Hong Kong.

The bright yellow, 18 meter high rubber ducks, Double Ducks named, were on display in the city’s Victoria Harbor since yesterday. They were created by the Dutch designer Florentijn Hofman. Tourists and others in the port area reacted with disappointment.

Hofman came up with the concept of the huge rubber duck as a floating work of art more than 15 years ago. Since then they have been shown in Amsterdam, Sydney, Osaka, Sao Paulo and Los Angeles, among others. Each city got its own duck, each with slightly different dimensions.

In 2013 it was Hong Kong’s turn. Because of the tenth anniversary, the duck has returned to the Chinese city and brought a friend with him. They were supposed to be on display for two weeks. It is not clear whether the leaking duck can still be repaired.

Hofman says his project is purely for fun. As far as he is concerned, there is no political message. He links the fact that there were two ducks in Hong Kong for the first time to the corona pandemic. As a result, “we realized how important it is to live the moment and be together”.

Watch here how the ducks were launched yesterday: