[Source: AP]

The first thought that comes to mind when you enter the Balloon Museum for the “Let’s Fly” exhibit is the massive scale of the art.

It’s easy to think of such an environment as having either professional-level balloon art or installations that rival the scale of a Thanksgiving Day Parade float, and that would be true. But it’s the adventure of a theme park attraction that can awaken the childlike wonder in all of us.

That’s definitely the intention according to Chiara Caimmi, who serves as the artistic production coordinator. She wants every installation to provide “some kind of interaction” with the audience.

“Sometimes it’s a relationship with the space where you enter a new world, or you have a different perception of the space you are in. You feel little or you feel big,” Caimmi said.

She calls it “an immersive experience through inflatable artwork.”

“We have 14 artists involved in our New York City exhibition, and so you are going to see all of these amazing artworks, one after the other,” Caimmi said.

Some installations are introspective, some put you in awe, while others literally make it about the journey. Take the “Flying Maze,” an inflatable labyrinth by French artist Cyril Lancelin. This large green inflated structure resembles a bouncy house you would encounter at a carnival or kid’s birthday party. Yet, it differs because you’re bouncing off the tubular walls while making your way through the narrow maze, a disco ball awaiting you in the center.

Whether physically or mentally, each installation takes the spectator on an immersive journey that contrasts the weightlessness of air and the heaviness of gravity in ways that would make Sir Isaac Newton proud.

“Hyperstellar” strongly emphasizes this concept. The signature installation by Hyperstudio provides an experience for the mind and body with a dash of whimsy. The massive space resembles a Las Vegas rooftop pool party where sound and vision affect the senses. And if that’s not enough — a jump into the enormous ball pit consisting of more than 1 million balls in a 9-million-square-foot space provides a rejuvenating feeling without getting wet.

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