The name of the pop-up Balloon Museum isn’t entirely accurate in its description. It’s really an interactive inflatable art exhibit for all ages in which the term inflatable is also loosely defined.
But merely describing some of these exhibits in words can’t quite capture how different artists evoke multiple senses at the museum. A version of the Balloon Museum first opened in Rome, Italy, in 2021 and is currently in three simultaneous cities: London; Naples, Italy; and now Atlanta’s Pullman Yards this month after a stop in New York City.
Currently, tickets can be purchased through April 14 at balloonmuseum.world/tickets-atlanta/, but organizers told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution they hope to keep it open through early June before moving to Miami. Tickets start at $39 and parking on the lot is $20. There is some free parking on nearby streets as well.
While some of the art works are largely visual, others are fully interactive, featuring bubbles, inflatable characters and a monster ball pit. There is a room packed with Instagram-friendly balloon-themed art and a virtual reality show. In all, the visit should take 60 to 90 minutes to experience. Besides the usual gift shop items, balloon objects like roses and dogs are available for sale at the end for the kids.
Of the 20 or so exhibits, created by artists from all over the world, here are five especially intriguing ones:
This is by far the largest and most involved exhibit. It lasts about 15 minutes. Thematically, it’s about liberation and flying, giving attendees the sense that they are floating in the cosmos. It resembles a massive pool three feet deep and filled with black hollow plastic balls. Organizers say there are literally a million balls. Better yet, you can wade through the pool like a monstrous ball pit, though getting out takes a bit of upper body strength. The surrounding LED side walls provide a six-minute visual show of water droplets and air bubbles backed by calming New Age music. Tens of thousands balls hang from the ceiling, with some moving up and down during the show itself.
Created by Karina Smigla-Bobinski in 2017, this room features a massive inflated sphere covered with graphic spikes. Attendees can lift and move the ball around at will. The spikes mark up the white ground, ceiling and walls to create abstract charcoal drawings. You can get a bit dirty but there is a cleaning station.
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho
This exhibit features strange characters with hollow membranes. Stand in front of them and they emit wind instrumental sounds. As the Australian creative laboratory ENNESS notes, “the layers of sound overlap, surrounding visitors in a celestial vibratory continuum.”
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@aj
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@aj
Roman artist Rub Kandy created these colorful life-sized anime-style characters that are a bit like Weebles. You can punch them or knock into them and they won’t fall down. A nightclub atmosphere with thumping music makes the room feel like a party.
As featured in Netflix’s “Emily in Paris,” this mesmerizing room features a machine that shoots out an array of soap bubbles that emit a wispy smoke when they pop. It’s dubbed “A Quiet Storm” because the “storm” is actually gentle while making the ground slightly slippery.
IF YOU GO
The Balloon Museum
2-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 2-9 pm. Fridays; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays; and 10 a.m.-8 .m. Sundays. Adult ticket prices start at $39. Pullman Yards, 225 Rogers St NE, Atlanta, balloonmuseum.world.
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