Pink Balloon Project
When Zoe Hillenmeyer was 16 years old, she was strolling through the streets of Boston reeling over the prospect of transitioning from a young girl to a young adult. Later that day she ran into a man who gave her a pink balloon. This seemingly meaningless and childish object brightened her day and eased her fears of the world beyond. Although strangers stared and ogled at the audacity of carrying such a large and brightly colored object through the crowded streets of Boston, this gift gave her the confidence to face her fears and renewed her faith in the goodness of the human spirit.
Now a Senior Sculpture Major in the Sam Fox School at Washington University, Hillenmeyer seeks to spread the joy of simple gifts around the greater St. Louis area and the world with her independent venture entitled The Pink Balloon Project. The young artist places pink balloons inflated with helium in random places and attaches to these balloons two things: a small gift worth no more than a few pennies and a note wishing the random recipient a happy day and directing them to the online portal for her project (www.pinkballoonproject.blogspot.com). On the blog, those who have found a pink balloon are invited to share their story, but they are also invited to participate in this project by placing their own balloons and gifts around St. Louis and the world.
“Really jazzed? Join the movement, all it takes is a balloon and a gift,” Hillenmeyer writes on her blog. She has opened her art project in the hopes that the power of a simple gift will in essence “go viral.” Though this project just got off the ground in the past few weeks, already a few people have taken the initiative and placed a series of pink balloons around St. Louis. We know this because a commenter on the blog gave thanks for an anonymous gift that was located in an area which Hillenmeyer did not visit.
Hillenmeyer’s art project suggests several questions for the viewers of this artwork. Firstly, she explores the relationship between artwork, viewer, and location. The artist simultaneously expands and contracts the total viewership of her artwork. On the one hand, she removes her artwork from traditional exhibitions and museums and places it in public places for everyone to enjoy. On the other hand, her artwork is meant for many viewers, but just one recipient. The exclusivity of the latter characteristic is shattered by inviting the receiver of the balloon to give more balloons and gifts so that others may enjoy the experience. The participatory nature of The Pink Balloon Project allows viewers and recipients alike to “pay it forward” and spread the joy of the project to other random passers-by.
Hillenmeyer also explicitly removes herself from this project. Her name does not appear on the balloons themselves nor does it appear on the project’s blog. By removing her name from the art project she allows everyone to “own” the project. In a sense, this bold move flies in the face of an American culture which projects ideals of individualism and egoism. The Pink Balloon Project calls its viewers and recipients to reject this selfishness in favor of selflessness. By removing herself and her names from the project, she promotes random acts of kindness that are not motivated by ambition or a desire for recognition. This project is not Zoe Hillenmeyer’s; it is our project and we can do with it what we will. I have already put out several balloons and I’ve had a fantastic time reading the comments of those who have found these balloons. So, join the movement, all you need is a balloon and a gift.
Jessica
on May 3rd, 2009
@ 5:39 pm:
What a cool idea!