Living Rubbish - Joshua Allen Harris

Street artist Joshua Allen Harris uses trash bags

and tape to create “Balloon Animals” that are

popping up everywhere throughout New York City

and have now become a huge online buzz, making

Joshua’s street work well known all over the world.

Beginning with what starts as a clump of plastic

rubbish over a subway grate, slowly inflates as

subway air is passed, into a “living” little shivering

Polar Bear which then deflates back into a small

lump of rubbish when the air runs out. Almost as if

the bear is alive and then it dies as it runs out of air

to breathe.

This presentation of street art/sculpture relates to

today’s global warming and our worlds climate

change, which in my opinion is an excellent,

original way of sending a message to the public

at the same time as being a really fun piece of art.

Developing from the Polar Bear, Joshua has since

made other “balloon animals” such as Gorillas,

Giraffes, Centaurs, a Lochness Monster and many

more crazy creatures. Steven Psyllos from New

York Magazine caught up with Joshua to discuss

his works (as shown in the video below). I find this

particular type of street art to be fun, educational,

inspirational, original and also very artistic.

References:

TrendLand. (2009). Retrieved May 22, 2010, from

http://trendland.net/2009/10/30/inflatable-street-art-by-joshua-allen-harris/

NewYorkMagazine. (2007). Retrieved May 22, 2010, from http://nymag.com/daily/

entertainment/2008/07/video_street_artist_joshua_all.html

YouTube. (2008) Retrieved May 22, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=PH6xCT2aTSo