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Video: Balloon sculpture at Museum of Fine Arts will blow you away

 
Artist Jason Hackenwerth works to install a sculpture consisting of thousands of interwoven latex balloons that create a massive aqua-marine form titled "Fleeting Innocence" that will hang from the ceiling of the Conservatory of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. DIRK SHADD   |   Times  

Artist Jason Hackenwerth works to install a sculpture consisting of thousands of interwoven latex balloons that create a massive aqua-marine form titled "Fleeting Innocence" that will hang from the ceiling of the Conservatory of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. DIRK SHADD | Times
Published Aug. 20, 2014

If you've ever been impressed by a balloon animal, prepare to be blown away by a new art exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg made up entirely of balloons.

Artist Jason Hackenwerth worked all day Monday to install a sculpture consisting of thousands of interwoven latex balloons that create a massive aqua-marine form titled Fleeting Innocence that will hang from the ceiling of the Conservatory at the museum. The art is expected to remain up for a couple of weeks.

Hackenwerth has created a biomorphic form that hints at both celebration and deteriorating. They are ephemeral works by virtue of their medium, and each has a life cycle of its own.

Of Fleeting Innocence, Hackenwerth states: "Art should be accessible to everyone and be a part of our daily lives. In pursuit of this belief, I explore the potency of common materials in transformational states. Latex balloons are an ideal medium of expression for a number of reasons. They demonstrate how a simple toy can be linked together with thousands of its kind in ways that transcend their typical applications and become something extraordinary.

"A powerful attribute these works borrow from is the often joyful memory associated with balloons that may be part of a less complicated time in life. Another strong message inherent in the work is one of urgency. Like our bodies, this sculpture is ephemeral; it is disappearing before our eyes. A beautiful expression of form, color, movement and light, that reminds us to be present in the moment and recognize the spectacular beauty that life offers."