This Artist Transforms Balloons Into Elegant Furniture
Since the 1970s design renaissance started about two years ago, thick, plush, and, for lack of a better phrase, squishy fittings have dominated homes and Instagram feeds alike.
The New York Times compared the pervasiveness of squishy couches, chairs, and pouffes to the pandemic-induced sweatpant mania of 2020 while Vogue dubbed puffy furniture “2021’s most wonderful home trend.”
A precisely rendered doughnut pouffe by New Zealand designer Sabine Marcelis costs €1,599 ($1,640), while a velvet ’70s armchair by Tobia and Afra Scarpa called “the Soriana” may cost up to £6,461 (about $7,800).
Each piece of furniture takes around two weeks to make, and according to Yang, a unique epoxy resin coating prevents them from “bursting.” When it’s finished, my art is glossy, Yang told CNN via email. Some individuals believe the final product won’t be difficult, yet it is. Each component of the design is made from inflated balloons that have been sculpted into a variety of forms.
For instance, a stool has three “legs” and the seat is formed from a longer balloon that has been spiralized. Layers of coloured resin are applied; further coatings are required to strengthen the fragile material sufficiently to support weight. The furniture is put together and given a final dip in the resin once all the components have dried and become solid.
The artist’s remarkable portfolio, which initially resembles the leftovers from a child’s birthday party, has attracted the attention of design enthusiasts, some of whom have displayed at various design and craft events.
Dior hired Yang in 2021, along with 16 other artists and designers, to redesign the fashion house’s famous medallion chair for Milan Design Week.
In a video publicising the event, he declared, “For me, grownups can still play like toddlers.”
The artist intends to participate in Design Miami this November and aims to organise a solo exhibition in New York early the following year.
In the future, he hopes to create larger items like a two-person sofa in order to push the boundaries of balloon design even further.
