Airigami sculptures continue to attract mallgoers

Guinness World Record holding artist Larry Moss and his team have completed the five Airigami sculptures at the Doha Festival City (DHFC).

On display at various sections of DHFC are extravagant pieces of balloon art, which include a character sledding headfirst through snow, a dinosaur, a giant bag and shoes, an Angry Birds display and a huge bird of prey.

Moss earlier told Gulf Times that each of the art installations is made up of around 7,000 to 8,000 balloons.

“Balloons have been my primary media in the last 30 years,” he said. “It is a joy to work with the balloons, to work with something that people see is fun and playful.”

The artist set a Guinness World Record for using more than 40,000 balloons in a single 25ft tall sculpture in Belgium in 2000.

He also set another record for the largest (7m tall) Lego mini figure made of balloons.

“There is an element about balloons that I also really like, I think that art needs to be experienced, and I love the fact that my art really requires people to experience it in the moment because it will change, it shrinks, it pops, and it goes away,” Moss noted.

“The artist still exists as a memory for a very long time, but the fact that physical creation goes away means that it is important to pay attention to it at this moment,” he added.

Moss’ team and DHFC set up the sculptures during nine days from April 20.

The balloon art will be on show until May 20 for visitors to enjoy.

Rochester artists and Airigami partners Moss and Kelly Cheatle are internationally renowned for their installations, whether a giant Acrocanthosaurus for the Virginia Museum of Natural History or the world’s first piloted balloon sculpture (Fantastic Flying Octopus).

Airigami made multiple appearances on The Martha Stewart Show, Good Morning America, the Today show, and at the White House.

“Shoppers and visitors alike have been blown away by these spectacular creations by Moss and his talented team,” DHFC general manager Trevor Hill said in a statement.

“When we opened our doors four weeks ago, we promised a raft of exciting new offerings and reasons to celebrate with us and this is just the tip of iceberg,” he added.

The sculptures are free for viewing, alongside other entertainment offerings in the mall, which form part of DHFC’s celebratory extravaganza.

It promise to offer more exciting events for children and families in the upcoming weeks.