Rome hosts the first balloon museum in the world

Part art exhibition, part fun playground

Earlier this month, the first Balloon Museum in the world opened its doors in the Italian capital Rome with an art exhibition called ‘Let’s Fly’. Its contents are composed entirely of balloon and inflatable artworks that are appealing to the audiences in more ways than one. The inflatable art represents the works of 14 artists from all over Europe, who have all used hundreds of thousands of biodegradable balloons to create them in a nod to sustainability and creativity.

Art and play meet to become one

The museum is housed in former bus depots in the district of Prati, near the Vatican. Unlike traditional museums, where touching the displays would be tantamount to a criminal offence, here even playing with them is encouraged. That, and of course snapping as many photos as possible for one’s personal social media accounts to brag on.

The artworks range in their variety. For example, there is a room of hanging multi-coloured balloons with a backdrop of psychedelic music and brightly coloured lights. There is also the opportunity to find your inner child and dive into a pool of hundreds of small clear coloured balls. Further on, there are giant inflatable sculptures that double up as a playground for kids, installations that move only by riding a bicycle and an army tank made of multicoloured birthday balloons.

And since this is also an art installation, there is plenty to make you think on deeper matters, as well. For example, Living Forest is an interactive installation with a high ethical value to reflect on the theme of the necessary green transition of cities. The public can interact with the work through a dynamic system operated through donations that contribute to an environmental sustainability program.

Once the exhibition is over (it runs until 5 March) the artworks will be reused or recycled.