Balloon animals from trash bags: Joshua Allen Harris

Street artist Joshua Allen Harris uses trash bags to make "balloon animals" that inflate over subway grates throughout New York City, and NY Mag has a behind-the-scenes video on how he does it.

Street Art: Joshua Allen Harris
[ New York Magazine, thanks Jessica Coen and Glen E. Friedman ]

See also a related post on Laughing Squid from March, 2008.

[#1 posted by pauldrye , July 7, 2008 3:05 PM]

And the "hoax explosive device" scare and ensuing trial begins in:

3...

2...

1...

[#2 posted by GeekMan , July 7, 2008 4:15 PM]

#1: Only in Boston.

[#3 posted by mdhatter , July 7, 2008 4:21 PM]

@ Geekman - Sad, but so so true. This would probably have shut down the subway for hours and made the top of the 5 and 11 pm news.

I love ephemeral art like I love no other art.

[#4 posted by buddy66 , July 7, 2008 4:25 PM]

WOW. This cat is great. I'd love to see it for real.

[#5 posted by BarkingSpider , July 7, 2008 4:50 PM]

Reminds me of these: http://www.woostercollective.com/2008/03/street_art_at_its_best_3_plastic_animals.html

[#6 posted by mdhatter , July 7, 2008 4:59 PM]

@ #5 - I saw those on the Wooster site a while back. I think it must be the same artist. Brilliant.

[#7 posted by Takuan , July 7, 2008 5:42 PM]

evolution in action
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/31/plastic-bag-animal-s.html

[#8 posted by Antinous , July 7, 2008 8:25 PM]

This medium cries out for erotic sculptures. Pulsating, erotic, Naked Lunchesque sculptures.

[#9 posted by Justin Ried , July 7, 2008 8:46 PM]

Mark Jenkins has made some really neat human and animal sculptures out of tape. Pesco's covered them quite a bit, here are a couple of examples:

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/05/28/mark-jenkins-tape-ba.html

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/03/14/mark-jenkinss-traffi.html

It amazes me how the human form can evoke so much emotion simply through posture and placement. Jenkins' fake people installations are wonderful examples.

[#10 posted by justONEguy , July 8, 2008 7:42 AM]

Speaking of Boston art-related hysteria, here's the latest one:

Street Artist Inspires Too Much Enthusiasm

[#11 posted by DavidSilverberg , July 8, 2008 7:53 AM]

We need this in Toronto!

[#12 posted by Jake von Slatt , July 8, 2008 10:41 AM]

"And this bag was, like, dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. And that's the day I knew there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in."

[#13 posted by brownhb , July 8, 2008 2:28 PM]

and don't forget Nick Georgiou!

http://www.woostercollective.com/2007/02/new_work_from_nick_georgiou.html