An iconic structure at a tourist attraction has been transformed into a massive cocoon made from more than 30 miles of tape for visitors to crawl inside on all fours.

The bizarre installation created by an internationally-renowned design collective will provide an immersive playground at Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Numen/For Use, an Austrian award-winning trio of artists, has been exploring diverse material for more than a decade to rethink the relationship between the environment and human beings.

The structure, called Tape, opened on Saturday in the dockyard's Slip 3 Mezzanine.

Previous installations have been built in Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Moscow and Vienna while stretching across various types of buildings, from an airport to an ancient building in Florence.

Tape is a family-friendly event running alongside the new “Monsters of the Deep” temporary exhibition at the venue.

Beyond its life at the historic dockyard, the components of Tape will be re-used in several creative artwork projects across Medway.

Aoi Nakamura and Esteban Lecoq, co-directors of A+E Lab, an art design company based at the attraction, said: "As we moved into the historic dockyard in 2022, our aim was to bring world-class artists who had inspired us for years as creatives to the site, share and introduce what we experience during our international tour with our local community.

"3 Slip is one of the most inspiring places within the site and it is an honour to bring inspiring places and artists together, creating one of the biggest Tape installations to date.

"We are planning a touch tour for the installation to make the event accessible.

"We hope this exhibition will spin and create a new thread merging the history, international culture and the people in Medway."

Numen/For Use's Sven Jonke said: "We are very happy to be able to exhibit our work in such a spectacular and structurally outstanding venue.

"Upon seeing the space for the first time we immediately felt it would be a great set for our tape installation due to its delicate engineering, ornamental structures and subtle quality of light.

"Since the Tape installation is a parasitic object, the venue becomes its host and as such its extension, a crucial part of the final design.

"The chaotically woven tape structure has no life of its own, but needs an adequate vessel to thrive in."

Richard Morsley, chief executive of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, said: "We are thrilled to be working with A+E Lab and Numen/For Use to bring the incredible Tape installation this spring.

"The magnificent 3 Slip is the most remarkable architectural achievement surviving on our historic estate.

"As part of Medway’s growing cultural sector, we’re excited to be showcasing our phenomenal space, with its cathedral-esque roof as the backdrop to Tape.”

The ambitious project has been supported by Arts Council England, the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries (iCCi) – University of Kent and Brandon Hire Station, AΦE and produced by A+E Lab.

It will be open until Sunday April 30. For more details, click here.

Entry to Tape is free as part of a ticket to The Historic Dockyard Chatham.