Hans Walter Müller was born in 1935 in Worms, Germany. From an early age on, he became and remained interested in magic tricks and arts. After receiving his diploma in Darmstadt in 1961, he continually pursued specific studies in Paris, focussing on materials of his time: artificial light, the projection of images, the plasticity of material and electrical motors. As part of the "Art Cinétique" movement, he is known to be the creator of inflatable structures, allowing these to become inhabitable structures through inflation. Since 1971 he resides in an inflatable house close to Paris. He was rewarded multiple prizes and worked together with artists such as Jean Dubuffet or Salvador Dalí. 

Our recommendation is accompanied by an introductory text from Ludwig Engel, a futurologist and urbanist, living and working in Berlin. He teaches, curates exhibitions, publishes books and advises companies and public institutions.

Find out more about Ludwig Engel here

I think Hans Walter Müller is a really interesting figure that started out in the late 60s when inflatables where becoming quite a thing in artistic-architectural circles all over Europe, pushing the idea of architecture towards temporality, mobility and flexibility. Despite (or because?) of his very German name until today he remains quite unknown in Germany but is considered an icon in cinetic, parasitic and inflatable installations in France that inspired generations of architects and artists. And I can think of noone continuously pushing the limits of how to live with and in inflatables until today, as Müller, who‘s inflatable home resonates with me quite strongly as a „utopian ghost“ - a future that we could have had and maybe still wait for, especially these days where we are locked away in our boring standardized apartments.
Maybe I would like to give a quick nod here to Haus-Rucker-Co, whose founding member, Zamp Kelp, was a professor at UdK for a long time. Their inflatable works from „Ballon for 2“ and „Oasis No.7“ to „COVER“ are probably the most seminal works of inflatable architecture and you should check them out if you haven't come across them already.

Ludwig Engel