Attack of the 50ft party balloon... Artist creates giant sculptures that look like terrifying creatures from the ocean depths



With their alien-like appearance and giant size these balloon sculptures might be a bit scary for a children's party.

But after painstakingly constructing each one over three days artist Jason Hackenwerth probably doesn't want kids playing with them anyway.

The extraordinary figures, which look like monsters from the depths of the ocean or creatures from another planet, are in fact highly complex sculptures made of nothing but thousands of common party balloons.



Bizarre: This strange-looking sculpture made from hundreds of party balloons is called Alien Rainforest

Ballooning mad: Two of Jason's bizarre looking sculptures by the sea which could be their natural home

Wacky: New York artist Jason Hackenwerth orders 5,000 balloons at a time to make his sculptures

The largest sculpture Jason has made is more than 40ft long just short of the giantess in low-budget 1958 sci-fi film The Attack of the 50ft Woman.

The bizarre creations give an insight into the weird world of the New York artist who began using balloons for his art after becoming skilled with them as a street performer during his university years.

Jason, 39, inflates them all before twisting them together to form the shapes.

Some of his creepy creatures are so big that Jason said he has to 'wrestle' the balloons into place.

The American goes through so many balloons that he has to buy them in bulk, ordering 5,000 at a time.

He said: 'I wouldn't say I set out to make underwater creatures but that's what people seem to see in them most often.

'I spend lots of time sketching and planning the sculptures I make. The ideas come from all over.

Weird and wonderful: This scene of a man wearing one of the balloon sculptures looks like it could be from another planet

Strange: This sculpture called 'Venus In The Forest' shows a woman wearing one of the huge sculptures

'Actually building the sculptures is very difficult and labour intensive work. I sometimes use thousands of balloons.'

Once made Jason takes his sculptures to beaches and forest and photographs them.



He added: 'I repeat the form and add more inner structure and pull the shape in or out. There's a kinship between this and the process of the shells sea creatures form.'

Scary: This creepy creation was named 'Cyclops' by Jason

Ready to fly: This pink sculpture made of balloons looks like it is about to float up into the sky

This strange balloon creature appears to have taken off and is floating above a stream



