Inflatable Sculptures!

   Tom assigned inflatable sculptures as our next assignment. We have been taping bags together for about a week now, trying to figure out how it all works. Tom said we can make them however we like, he supplied us with garbage bags, tarps, tape, and scissors. We can also make them as big as we like! Anyone who knows me knows I like to make everything bigger than life. So I've been working on making a hippo. At first I just tried to guess at it and then went out and bought a stuffed hippo. I figured I could look to it for pattern inspiration. After a few classes of taping shit together  trying to figure it out on my own I finally stopped playing around and did some research. Not that my stuff wans't working. It would blow up and all but there were some issues, such as tape coming off and the piece bursting from too much air pressure.
   I found some useful information...First of all I need to take apart my stuffed hippo so I can truly see how it was put together. Then I need to use graph paper to trace the pattern on. The graph paper will help me figure out proportions when I blow the pattern up to, hopefully, lifesize. I think I'm going to do some research and see exactly how big a hippo is. I would love to make the piece big enough to walk into. I also learned that I can iron my seams together instead of taping them so goodbye sticky mess! I need to make slits in the piece and then reinforce them with tape to allow the pressure to not build up so much that it bursts my piece. I also found that there are a number of artist out there who work with inflatable sculptures, so they aren't just used as bounce houses.

JOSHUA ALLEN HARRIS- inflates his pieces using the city grates.