I have to say I did laugh out loud (a little) when viewing these balloon figures for the first time.
Australian born photographer Bella Borsodi kicked off his still life and product photography career in 1999. This was seven years after his move to New York City and has been creating accessorising and photographing balloon creatures? Ever since.
His client’s range from The New York Times Magazine & Vogue Russia to Bloomingdales & H&M. This month, Borsodi showcased two projects with the Huffington Post. One of the titles: Inflated Egos (see what he did there?), which is among some of his earlier projects and was shot for city magazine back in 2005.
“The editor of the magazine just asked me if I would like to shoot different accessories for them and told me I would have total freedom to do whatever I like. I had worked with balloons for a while before that, and thought it could be fun to create balloon figures and then to dress them up. The magazine loved the idea and all was a go ahead and lots of fun.” Borsodi told Huffington Post.
The second project, titled ‘’The Expandables’’, was shot in 2011 for the Russian magazine Tattler.
“Tattler Russia successfully talked me into making a repeat of the [City magazine] story. This is absolutely against my rules because I never repeat anything unless I can drastically improve it or find a very different angle to it,” Borsodi says, “But the magazine was so very enthusiastic about doing balloon figures that I made an exception. I thought it would be funny to over-accessorise them and make them quite sexy.”
“I love making things and putting things in an unusual context incorporating various visual languages coming from art and graphic design–eroticism is also a fascination of me that I love exploring.”
Borsodi has a knack for turning the plainest things into something surreal and wonderful. By simply styling, or suggesting a few details, he can animate mundane objects into jovial caricatures. Add a wig to a balloon and it is no longer an inflated bit of latex, but now it is suddenly transformed into Marge Simpson.
‘’ Inflated egos’’ – CITY Magazine By Bella Borsodi
Or add a few brooches and faux fur to brown balloon, and we go from a child’s party to a drag show.
‘’ Inflated egos’’ – CITY Magazine By Bella Borsodi
Or another one: just fasten a tie, a belt, wrap on sunglasses and place a pile of string on a strangely shaped balloon, and we now see a boss trying to party on Casual Friday.
‘’ Inflated egos’’ – CITY Magazine By Bella Borsodi
Borsodi Goes on to say: ‘’Often when you only change the context of things you can find new meaning. Or you add something to an object or you take something away from it. Or you put it upside down. All this can change it – a glass put upside down loses all its original function and becomes just a “thing”.
Alexandra Mantoura
