Sean Rooney
The Balloon Maestro 气球大师
Born to Irish parents in London, Canada, and the proud possessor of three passports… innovative balloon artist/performer Sean Rooney has plied his art in over 30 countries. From an anti-poaching initiative involving sculpting a life-size Rhinoceros inspired by Albrecht Durer, to creating temporary monumental installations promoting peace in war-torn Bosnia Herzegovina, to a Guinness record balloon zoo in Xiamen, China… he has been on a creative flight of fancy, hovering just under the radar of cultural influencers.
A love of geometry and a sense of harmony have always underpinned his traditionally visually-oriented craft. His recent (and perhaps most creative) work moves into the modality of the audible – and has heard him developing and mastering musical instruments made from balloons. Percussion, woodwind, and stringed instruments have flowed (flown?) from his fertile mind and capable hands, and he plays them with aplomb.
With a multicultural sensibility informed by travel, a degree in Cultural Anthropology, and the Canadian ethos of cultural mosaic, his balloon world is an inflatable microcosm reflecting the diversity of the world-at large.