巨大アヒル、仲間を連れ香港再訪

【香港ＡＦＰ＝時事】香港で人気を博した巨大なアート作品「ラバー・ダック」が９日、１０年ぶりに帰ってきた。今回はもう１羽増え、「ダブル・ダックス」という作品名で２羽のアヒルがビクトリアハーバーに浮かんでいる。（写真は、香港のビクトリアハーバーに登場した、オランダ人アーティストのフロレンティン・ホフマン氏の巨大アート作品「ダブル・ダックス」）
　高さ１８メートルのこのアヒルは、オランダ人アーティストのフロレンティン・ホフマン氏が手掛けたバルーン状の立体作品で、２００７年に初登場して以来、世界の主要都市で展示され平和の象徴になっている。
　香港での２０１３年の展示では、大勢の見物客が詰め掛けた際や、事故でしぼんでしまった時には大きなニュースになった。
　アヒルを見に訪れた女性はＡＦＰに対し、「１０年ぶりにアヒルが戻ってきたのは素晴らしいことだと思う。特に（新型コロナウイルスの）パンデミックがあったので、見るだけでうれしくなる」と話した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/06/12-17:26）

Ten years after a giant inflatable yellow duck captivated crowds in Hong Kong, the art installation returned to the city's Victoria Harbour on Friday as a double-bill exhibition.
The twin 18-metre-tall (59-feet) sculptures by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman are part of the Rubber Duck series that has made appearances in major cities since its 2007 debut.
The faddish artwork previously made headlines in Hong Kong for drawing huge audiences and for accidental deflations, including when it shrank to a flat disk next to a ferry pier in 2013.
Following stormy weather early Friday before they were released onto the water, Hofman joked that the two ducks took a bath this morning.
In a world where we suffered from a pandemic, wars and political situations, I think it is the moment to bring back the double luck, he said.
Setting sail in front of Hong Kong's landmark Convention and Exhibition Centre, the mighty ducks moved through the harbour before stopping to nest near the city government's headquarters.
Office workers strolled by during lunch breaks to snap selfies, while others carried yellow duck balloons to celebrate the sunny duo's new perch.
I think it's very good to have the duck back after 10 years because it is simple happiness, especially after the pandemic, one admirer named Vivian told AFP.
It's a form of flashback, said 32-year-old bank employee Zenj. I think it brings luck.
During its 2013 visit to Hong Kong, the solo lemon-hued bird ruffled feathers in Beijing after internet users edited the famous Tank Man photo from the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown by replacing the tanks with ducks.
Internet searches for yellow duck were banned in mainland China in the run-up to June 4 that year, the anniversary of the crackdown, as Beijing forbids discussion of the day Chinese troops crushed demonstrations.
Even after Hofman's duck exhibitions slowed in the mid-2010s, the creature has found new life as an inadvertent protest symbol in Brazil, Russia and most recently Thailand.