I have always been fascinated with flight. As a kid, I did all the usual things. I built paper airplanes, flew kites, and launched model rockets. Somewhere along the way, I also started designing my own paper planes, then balsa wood gliders. What I didn’t expect was that it would lead me to build a 25-foot-tall piloted octopus out of latex balloons.
After Japan, everything changed. (See On Air: My First Trip to Japan (and the First Giant Balloon Sculpture I Ever Built) for more on that.) The Nebuta sculpture in December of 1998 had pushed balloon art into new territory—and people noticed. Not just friends, fellow balloon twisters, and balloon distributors. I already had their attention … Read more
I didn’t sleep much the week I arrived in Tokyo in December 1998. Not from jet lag, though that certainly didn’t help. No, I was buzzing with nerves and anticipation, preparing to lead the most ambitious balloon project of my life. It was my first trip to Japan, and it was for a New Year’s … Read more
New Yorker here. I speak American English. I have traveled extensively for work, much of it internationally, which has exposed me to a wide range of languages and cultures. While I’ve always struggled to learn languages other than English, I make an effort to pick up a little wherever I go, even if it’s only … Read more
It is never more obvious to me that I work in a peculiar medium than when I hear the words, “Wow! It’s just like art!” The implication, of course, is that it’s not ACTUALLY art. It’s only LIKE art. This begs the question, “What is art?” Should the choice of medium have an impact on … Read more