3D sea-animal balloons – Wrocław, European Capital of Culture 2016

What did we build for the European Capital of Culture?

A set of inflatable balloons in unusual shapes based on sea animals, made for the opening weekend of Wrocław, European Capital of Culture 2016. They travelled in the parade of the flood spirit – one of four spirits in the show „Awakening", which on 15 January 2016 opened a three-day programme of nearly a hundred events. Everything was made in our workshop in Poland: design, sewing, print and the lighting install.

How do these differ from advertising balloons?

The skin is translucent rather than opaque. By day it reads as ordinary fabric; after dark it becomes a lampshade, because the built-in remote-controlled LED lighting shines through it and draws the animal against the dark street. The remote let the colour change during the march, so the line of balloons followed the script of the parade instead of glowing one colour all evening.

What does that mean for theatre, live shows and film?

An inflatable object is light and needs no scaffolding or crane: two people carry it and it packs into a bag after the show. For a theatre or film production that is the difference between a set piece that tours and one that stays in storage. We design the shape from scratch – the same way we make the product replicas and three-dimensional figures in our portfolio.

How do you order a shape for a stage or a shoot?

A sketch, a reference photo or a description of the scene is enough. Design work is free, production runs in Poland and a quote comes back within 24 hours on working days – write to us through the contact form. You can also look at the catalogue advertising balloons this build grew out of.