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New York Post
This top NYC summer activity has 700,000 balloons and amazing A/C: ‘The coolest place in the city’
By Jeanette Settembre,
7 hours ago
It’s pop art.
Balloon Story, an immersive art exhibit of sculptures made from 700,000 balloons, has blown up at the Park Avenue Armory on the Upper East Side.
More than 200 artists from around the world worked on the show, creating 140 inflated sculptures spread throughout the 55,000-square-foot space.
The adventure, which runs through August 24, begins with a giant, roaring lion with a moving mouth greeting guests and standing guard over a rain forest-themed ball pit.
“It’s supposed to tell a story. You’re going from the jungle, to under the sea and to the artic and you end in the real world at the monuments,” Yonatan Eizik (left), curator of Balloon Story told The Post. He’s pictured with art director Kobi Kalimian, who assembled more than 200 artists from around the world. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
From
there, exhibition-goers take a soaring journey through various natural environments — including an ocean wonderland and an outer space scene with a 39-foot-tall spaceship, the show’s tallest piece.
The experience ends with rubber recreations of major landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and Egyptian pyramids.
“It’s supposed to tell a story. You’re going from the jungle, to under the sea and to the arctic and you end in the [urban] world at the monuments,” Yonatan Eizik, the curator for Balloon Story, told The Post.
In the monuments section of the exhibit, guests can gawk at the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and the Egyptian pyramids. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
No surprise, the exhibit, which took six months to make and uses both ball-shaped balloons and the tubular type known as modeling balloons, has been a hit with local families.
(Artists are on-site for repairs should kids accidentally pop anything. Kobi Kalimian, art director at Balloon Story, told The Post that there have been at least three incidents since the show opened on July 2.)
“We didn’t want the sculptures to be cartoon caricatures that only appeal to kids. We wanted them to have a real-life, artistic element,” Eizik said, noting that they recently had a man propose to his girlfriend at the show, bending down on one knee with a balloon engagement ring at the Eiffel Tower.
At the end of the exhibit, Balloon Story will host a popping party on August 25 for New Yorkers to pop the balloons. The remains will be donated to an echo-friendly partner. Stephen Yang for the New York Post “We take thousands of modeling balloons you would use to make those balloon animals and thousands of round-shape balloons to construct what looks like a fabric to mold and contort the balloons into statues,” Kalimian told The Post, of spending six months producing the entire exhibit. Featured here is a polar bear from the artic scene in the exhibit. Stephen Yang for the New York Post The Statue of Liberty is the second tallest piece in the exhibit. A 39-foot spaceship is the tallest. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
Something else that should appeal to all ages: Powerful air conditioning.
The Armory is kept at a crisp 69 degrees to keep the balloons from deflating.
“It’s very nice for the New Yorkers who are hot,” Eizik joked. “This is the coolest place in the city.”
Roaring lion Five artists working for four days brought this roaring lion to life. Behind the scenes, there’s a robotic model that allows for the king of the jungle to move his mouth. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
Number of balloons: 8,000
Time it took to make: Five artists working for four days
The most challenging part of constructing this blown-up beast was the mouth, according to Kalimian. Artists used special cone-shaped, miniature modeling balloons, each 15-inches long, for the fangs. The rubber chompers had to be positioned just right, so as not to pop each other as the lion’s motorized mouth opens and closes.
The balloon jungle is a safari of fun for guests who get to traverse through a rain forest complete with a tropical themed ball pit. Stephen Yang for the New York Post Sphinx and Egyptian Pyramids:
Number of balloons: 10,000
Time it took to make: Six artists working for two days
Crafting the shape of the 8-foot tall Great Sphinx was tricky.
“We took a real, three-dimensional picture of a sphinx. We did a sketch of the framing and then covered it with the right balloons to make the shape of it,” Kalimian explained.
It took 10,000 balloons, six artists and two days to create the Sphinx and Egyptian pyramids. Stephen Yang for the New York Post Under the Sea-scape
Number of Balloons: 80,000 balloons
Time it took to make: 200 artists working for nine days.
Just the tunnel of water in the ocean demanded 34,000 balloons, in various shades of blue, from pale to navy, to give dimension.
A giant orange octopus made with 50,000 balloons has eight moving tentacles and notable eyes.
“They’re clear balloons with a white, blue and black balloon inside of it,” Kalimian said.
It took 34,000 balloons, ranging in color from pale blue to navy, just for the water in the arched ocean tunnel. Stephen Yang for the New York Post The shark is made with a whopping 3,000 grey balloons and hundreds of red round balloons just for the mouth. Kalimian and his team sourced cone shaped balloons for the shark’s pointy teeth. Stephen Yang for the New York Post A giant octopus has eight moving tentacles to greets guests at the end of the ocean section. Stephen Yang for the New York Post Bald Eagle
Number of Balloons: 12,000
Time it took to make: 13 artists working for four days
It took 12,000 balloons, 13 artists and four days to make this eagle soar at the entrance and exit of Balloon Story. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
A 15-pound patriotic bird soars over the entrance and exit. His 23-foot-wide blue wings are embedded with 50 6-inch white stars and festooned with red and white feathers.
Kalimian knew he wanted a piece that celebrated America but he wanted something unique.
“I thought about making the American flag, but It was too simple,” he said.
Tickets from $26.90 for children and $33.90 for adults at BalloonStory.com , kids under 4 are free; 643 Park Ave., Upper East Side.
For the latest in lifestyle, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/lifestyle/
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