Circles, Lines, & Balloons - Ashley Harwood & Jason Hackenworth

The most challenging shapes to make while bending neon are circles, due to the exact geometry and the need to evenly heat and shape the glass over a small ribbon burner, which is about the length of a keyboard. This is why I am bowled over by Ashley Harwood's neon circles. And these are not tiny loops, these are enormous, multiple tube works. They look like celestial shapes, planets, and galaxies. In this piece, 1.66782048x10^-9, (made in 2007,) there are 10 transformers powering this sphere.

We are the Light that Travels into Space (2007).

The other artist whose work has captivated me this week is Jason Hackenworth. He creates enormous creatures entirely out of balloons. Some of them are even interactive and wearable, but most are blown-up (ha) sculptural replications of tiny microbes and sea creatures. This piece is called Ecstasy of the Scarlet Empress, (photo via NY Times).

Songs (YouTube):

Red Rubber Ball - The Cyrkle 

Blue Light Red Light (Someone's There) - Harry Connick, Jr.

Blue Light - Bloc Party

Red Light - The Strokes 

A Balloon On A Broken String - The Boy Least Likely To

99 Luft Ballons - Nena