Skyscape Escape

In the spring of 2004, Skyscape Escape — a sculptural aviation project by British artist Chris Dobrowolski — was presented during North.Amsterdam, a festival dedicated to groundbreaking art and mobility. The presentation was curated and managed by Mothership, which was also responsible for the project’s overall coordination.

The work is a reinterpretation of the historic “Flying Flea” (Pou du Ciel) — an experimental single-seater aircraft designed by Henri Mignet in 1935. Dobrowolski rebuilt the plane in his own idiosyncratic way, using found materials such as tea crates, newspaper, and parts from a Citroën 2CV.

The participation in North.Amsterdam came together on short notice. Dobrowolski transported the aircraft from the United Kingdom, arriving in Amsterdam just before the opening. As a result, the work was still technically in development. Yet — or perhaps precisely because of its visible fragility — Skyscape Escape became a meaningful addition to the program. The presentation vividly captured themes of escapism, experimentation, failure, and personal ambition, aligning perfectly with the broader context of the festival.

With Skyscape Escape, Dobrowolski was less concerned with achieving an actual flight than with revealing the desire to do so — creating an aerial landscape of possibility, doubt, and humor.