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'Flying Pigs' In Front Of Trump Tower In Chicago? It Could Happen

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A plan to fly "floating pigs" in front of the Trump Hotel in Chicago is moving forward, with the project's creators seeking to raise enough money to launch it by late summer.

"Flying Pigs On Parade" was created by the Chicago-based architecture design group New World Projects, shortly after Donald Trump won the presidential election on November.

In December, architect Jeffrey Roberts called the project "a bold visual response to the loud, illogical and frequently hateful expressions that engulfed the elections."

Pigs Wabash
The view of the "Flying Pigs" from Wabash, looking north. (New World Projects Ltd)

As envisioned, four large golden pig balloons would float from a barge on the Chicago River, just high enough to obscure the large "Trump" sign. The pigs would fly for one day, perhaps on a Saturday in late August or early September.

New World Projects has launched a fund-raising initiative to cover the project costs, ranging from renting the barge to paying for security and covering costs of permits and equipment. The City Of Chicago has yet to sign off on the project, but the group says it is making progress. Roberts estimates costs to be $100,000 to $150,000.

"The city doesn't encounter application for projects of this type frequently, so we suspect the process will take a little longer," Roberts said in an email to CBS Chicago.

The project received a major boost from Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, who has endorsed the concept. The Chicago pig design was inspired by the group's "Animals" album cover, which shows a pig floating above Battersea power station.

Pigs River
The view of the "Flying Pigs" from the Chicago River, looking west. (New World Projects Ltd)

"The art folly has been created to provide visual relief to the citizens of Chicago by interrupting the view of the ostentatious Trump Tower Chicago sign," the group says on its website.

The pigs are named after characters (Old Major, Napoleon, Squealer and Minimus) in George Orwell's dystopian novel "Animal Farm."

"Ultimately, this is a very rational design and is in direct contrast to the chaotic nature and bizarre antics of our current leadership," according to the group's website.

Roberts says his team has settled on several technical issues, including how to safely tether balloons that are the size of a double-decker bus.

Chicago's Trump Tower has been around since 2008, but in the summer of 2014, Trump decided to mark his building with a sign, said to be 'the Hollywood sign of Chicago.'

At the time, city council approved the sign which stands 20-feet high reading the name 'TRUMP' in stainless-steel letters, facing the Chicago river.

The letters span two floors of the building, covering 2,800 square feet and are illuminated at night with LED lights.

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