Balloon twisting sculptures by Jason Hackenwerth
-
Is it a bird...?
...a sea anemone...?
...an alien...?
...a millipede...?
...or a Dale Chihuly glass sculpture?
No, they are all examples of Jason Hackenwerth's balloon art. Jason, 38, spends £6,000 per year on multi-coloured balloons for his incredible sculptures, which he displays around the world
His massive artworks are based on various insects, sea creatures - and even human anatomy
It was Jason's mother, who worked as a clown, who taught him the art of balloon twisting
He began with simple animals and hats to make a crust as a street performer but by the time he graduated from art college he had grander ideas in mind
"I used to travel the New York subway every day and it was so bleak," said Jason. "I wanted to find a way to cheer it up down there so I started making balloon shapes and sneaking down in the middle of the night to hang them up"
When people saw them their faces would light up so I decided this was the medium I would like to work in"
Jason has made sculptures of epic scale – one piece was over 46 foot long and made of over 4,000 balloons
"I used to blow them all up with my mouth," he says. "But I'm a bit smarter now so I use a machine"
He exhibits his work on commission and sells it to private collectors for up to £4,000 a time