What are you doing on Sunday, September 3? Well, unless you are Austrian artist Noëmi Lakmaier, the answer probably isn’t “attempting to lift your body off the ground using 20,000 multi-coloured party balloons.”
Lakmaier will be attempting this daring, colourful feat at the Concert Hall in the Opera House as part of Antidote, which replaces the previously-annual Festival of Dangerous Ideas – although this seems very much a dangerous idea.
Entry is free, and because this isn’t really the type of set you can time (or yell for an encore), doors will open at 8am, close at 5pm, and you can stick around for as long as you wish. That’s nine hours of hardcore hovering!
The live installation is named Cherophobia, which aims to “connects people through shared suspense and anticipation.” The title comes from a psychiatric condition defined as “an exaggerated or irrational fear of gaiety or happiness”.
For those about to fire up about the environmental impact of such a stunt, please note that “All balloons used in in this event are biodegradable, and will be composted following the event conclusion. The event uses ‘balloon-grade’ helium, a low-grade and less pure form of helium that is not fit for medical use.”
You had me at “balloon-grade helium”.
Find out more about the one-off event here, and watch the Mr. Bean clip where he ties helium balloons to a baby stroller only for it to take to the skies, below.
