"... the bruises are still open; the pain doesn't seem to ease. She spreads salt crystals on open injuries, blend them in sugar, cover them in papier-mâché, immerse them in the dead sea. But their bloody presence is always here..."

http://www.sigalitlandau.com/

Some few weeks ago a group of fibers artists had a show together at the Oglethorpe Gallery in Savannah, GA- Kate dePara, Tricia Cookson, Maggie Horne and me- Liliya Sotirova.

I was devoted to the idea to use helium balloons to hold up my fibers work.

About an hour before the show was scheduled to open I ran out of helium. I had about 15 balloons left to fill in. The pump was supposed to supply for all but…things are always different in real time.  

Real time suggested emergency visit to….Kroger…-the closest place with helium supply!

I got to the floral section where they take care of birthday balloon orders. I was a complete alien to that place. I had brought my own white latex balloons. I explained I just needed 15 of them to be filled with helium as much as possible. As fast as possible. There is an important art event I needed them for. The young guy helping me expressed his surprise and confusion but also- support. He shook his head; he had understood the urgency and the importance.

We worked out a system. He was blowing up the balloons, knotting them, handing them to me so I tie a string and knot them to my wrist. We were both counting silently. At the 15^th he stopped. They were forming a big white cloud piercing Kroger’s upper space. We started counting all balloons attached to my wrist, making sure we’ve done everything right.  

Twelve. I could count only twelve. Over and over. He could count only twelve too. Strange. We both could swear they were fifteen.

Well…I guess we made a mistake. I handed him three more to blow up. No, he insisted they were fifteen just a minute ago. I must have lost some.

I wondered for a second what that meant.

He looked up. There they were. I had DROPPED three balloons UP. They were hitting Kroger’s ceiling, their threads hanging down far away from us. How did I possibly let go those three?

Anyway. We had to blow up three more to make up for the lost ones above.

No, he insisted they were not lost. There is a way to get them back.

OK…?

In an instant I imagined us climbing on a super high ladder reaching for the balloons while all Kroger customers look up at us confused and entertained.

It is a very simple method and had been tested before, the guy was so confident.

He cut up some tape, looped it, and took one of the balloons I was holding, stuck three tape loops on it, extended its string and loosened it. The balloon flew up meeting the others. It caught them one by one and they were handed to me without any harm from the tape.

My jaw had dropped down and I was happily fascinated. These three !art support devices! were caught  in such a truly creative way…Necessity gives birth to delightfully useful actions. Easy and natural. I thanked the guy for the help and creativity and truly praised his ideas and methods.

I was going to have an art show and had just experienced an unplanned, accidental art show at Kroger!!!

My emergency helium supply trip turned into a delightful adventure. A bike ride with fifteen helium balloons resisting the wind is a difficult task. They felt like a weight, something heavy pulling up. Something lighter than air playing with my sense for mass and weight. Or converting my expectations of how things behave.

Instead of pulling down, things could pull up. Instead of falling down, things could fall up.

Later on I found out about the serious shortage of helium supply experienced within the past few years...Would such delightful helium supply adventure not be possible in a decade or two?