Eric Cantona announces trip to space (maybe) with levitating sculpture of himself
Le stunt supreme
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Footballer Eric Cantona is planning to take a trip into space (perhaps), and has announced it in the only logical way: by unveiling a life-sized levitating statue of himself at London Victoria railway station, England.
The monument (puzzlingly described as the world’s ‘first levitating statue of Eric Cantona’, implying that others will follow) uses magnets to hold the spacesuit-clad sculpture above a model of the Earth. Such floating sculptures aren’t unusual in modern art galleries, but this might be the largest to date.
So why, you might ask, would Cantona blast off in the first place? To promote beer, of course. His trip is part of a (tenuous) promotion with beer brand Kronenbourg, to prove that its lager “is ‘le taste supreme’ in the entire universe”.
Or perhaps not
It seems unlikely that Cantona is actually planning to enter orbit. In a mock press conference, the footballer announced his intentions (complete with Gallic shrug) in front of a parody NASA sign reading ‘ALSASA’ – a reference to the Alsace region of France, from which the brewery obtains some of its hops.
The idea isn’t entirely beyond belief, though – both Elon Musk’sSpaceXand Richard Branson’sVirgin Galacticplan to take tourists into space in the near future, and Jeff Bezos’Blue Originis preparing for manned flights to the moon.
Whether it’s true or not, the statue is still an impressive piece of work. Artists and engineers spent hundreds of hours crafting the model and ensuring it floats gracefully above the globe.
Cantona isn’t the first footballer to be immortalized at a public transport hub, but his statue levitates head and shoulders above themuch-mocked bronze of Cristiano Ronaldoinstalled at Madeira Airport last year.
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Cat is TechRadar’s Homes Editor specializing in kitchen appliances and smart home technology. She’s been a tech journalist for 15 years, and is here to help you choose the right devices for your home and do more with them. When not working she’s a keen home baker, and makes a pretty mean macaron.
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