Photo: “Makey,” credit: Airigami

 

Globe-trotting team has been featured in Japan, China, Kuwait & more

Will build 13-foot “Makey” + participatory Bubble Mural

 

Rochester, NY – (February 22, 2019) Rochester’s Airigami – a team of artists who create large-scale installations, illustrations, and experiences entirely out of balloons – is headed to a new exotic location to build another of its eye-popping, air-filled wonders.

This weekend, Airigami’s Founder/Creative Director Larry Moss and Artistic Director Kelly Cheatle will travel to the United Arab Emirates’ Maker Faire Dubai. Next Monday, they’ll begin work at the Dubai World Trade Center, building a 13-foot-tall Maker Faire mascot called “Makey” (see attached photo) as well as a public-participation project called an Airigami Bubble Mural.

“We’ve done around 15 Maker Faires in the U.S. and around the world so far,” says Moss. “Tokyo, Shenzhen, Kuwait City, San Francisco, New York City, and – of course – Rochester.”

Maker Faires are “a celebration of invention, creativity, and curiosity showcasing the very best of the global Maker Movement. People of all ages and backgrounds gather to learn, share, play and make,” according to the official website. A quick glance at the Maker Faire map and calendar confirms their popularity.

“I think we’re asked to these events because our creations are spectacular as well as creative,” Cheatle explains, adding that she and Larry will bring two more team members from Rochester: Cheatle’s son Avery and John Wolfson. “Our participatory Bubble Murals are also a huge hit – in this case, the public will be assembling a giant tapestry of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world.” (See Airigami’s similar work at Tokyo Maker Faire.)

More about Airigami: Rochester artists and partners Larry Moss and Kelly Cheatle are full of hot air and visionary ideas. Internationally renowned for their incredible, inflatable installations, including a giant Acrocanthosaurus for the Virginia Museum of Natural History, the world’s first piloted balloon sculpture (Fantastic Flying Octopus), and seven Balloon Manors – later called Airigami Balloon Adventures – in Rochester, NY, the two are committed to community-building art experiences. Moss, who began his career as a NYC street performer, has earned two Guinness World’s Records for giant builds, as well as AP, CNN Headline, PBS and other international and national news coverage. Airigami has made multiple appearances on The Martha Stewart Show, Good Morning America, the Today show, and at the White House. Its artwork has been exhibited throughout North America and in more than 16 countries worldwide, including: the U.S, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, the U.K., France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and Japan. Airigami is part of a collective of Rochester creative entrepreneurs – artists and “makers” who work in everything from metal to video to balloons – that inhabit a maker space in the downtown High Falls District called MADE ON STATE (510 State Street). For more information, please visit airigami.com.

Media please note:  Additional high-resolution images, other media assets, and interview and photo/footage opportunities are available upon request.

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