Luke Jerram transforms Bristol's Park Street into 90 metre water slide
For one day only, British artist Luke Jerram transformed a street in Bristol's city centre into a huge water slide that could only be traversed by lilo (+ movie).
![Luke Jerram transforms Bristols Park Street into 90-metre water slide](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Luke-Jerram-transforms-Bristols-Park-Street-into-90-metre-water-slide_dezeen_1sq.jpg)
The Park and Slide project involved installing a 90-metre-long slide in the centre of the English city's Park Street – a notoriously steep hill – and allowing 360 people to slide down, one after another.
![Luke Jerram transforms Bristols Park Street into 90-metre water slide](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Luke-Jerram-transforms-Bristols-Park-Street-into-90-metre-water-slide_dezeen_5.jpg)
"The idea came about during last year's heat wave," explained Luke Jerram, who is based in Bristol. "From my office on Park Street, it dawned on me that a simple project like this could make us look at the city in a completely new way. The slide is a simple architectural intervention and a playful response to the urban landscape."
![Luke Jerram transforms Bristols Park Street into 90-metre water slide](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Luke-Jerram-transforms-Bristols-Park-Street-into-90-metre-water-slide_dezeen_2.jpg)
The slide was constructed by laying a plastic sheet over padded mats and hay bales, creating a straight descent from top to bottom. Washing-up liquid and a constant water supply were also needed to ensure a smooth ride on an inflatable lilo.
![Luke Jerram transforms Bristols Park Street into 90-metre water slide](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Luke-Jerram-transforms-Bristols-Park-Street-into-90-metre-water-slide_dezeen_3.jpg)
Jerram first unveiled the concept back in March, prompting various offers of corporate sponsorship. He declined these and instead garnered community support from crowdfunding website Spacehive.
![Luke Jerram transforms Bristols Park Street into 90-metre water slide](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Luke-Jerram-transforms-Bristols-Park-Street-into-90-metre-water-slide_dezeen_4.jpg)
Nearly 100,000 people signed up to use the slide, although only 360 places were available. "The amount of interest and demand has been a wonderful surprise," said Jerram.
"It's obviously an idea that has captured the imagination of a lot of people – we'd have to keep the slide open every day for about eight months to let everyone who has applied have a go. The queue would extend for 30miles!" he added.
![Luke Jerram transforms Bristols Park Street into 90-metre water slide](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Luke-Jerram-transforms-Bristols-Park-Street-into-90-metre-water-slide_dezeen_6.gif)
Jerram hopes the idea will be repeated by other cities and plans to release an instruction pack for building the slide via his website.
Photographs are by the artist.