The Balloon Museum is not a museum of balloons but rather a large collection of tactile inflatable-based artworks that essentially translates into a very posh softplay.
Originating in Italy, it has had various touring incarnations: it last visited London a few years back with a large, eccentric show in central London that earnestly tried to push the ‘art’ side of the project almost as strongly as the ‘fun for kids’ one.
A lot has changed in the world of Instagram-friendly, child-orientated immersive experiences since then. On the one hand you have the likes of north London’s long-running Bubble Planet, which essentially offers a similar deal to the OG Balloon Museum but without the artistic pretension. And on the other hand you have the opening of large-scale immersive space ImmerseLDN which allows for a much longer, more settled run.
So the Balloon Museum has returned to us for a lengthystint with an incarnation/exhibition dubbed Euphoria – Art is in the Air. Its rooms are still billed as individual art works, each with a name, an artist and an unfathomable description of what it all means.
It’s even open on Christmas Day
But it feels even more focussed on a younger audience this time, by which I mean the artistic pretensions have been dialed down and almost everything here is nakedly just very posh softplay. Which is a good thing! (It”s also worth mentioning that it’s even open on Christmas Day, should you have the means to get to the Docklands and the need to get the little ones out of the house).
The two big showstoppers here are Hyperstudio’s Hyperstellar – a gigantic ball pit with moody postapocalyptic lighting and cool projected walls – and the same company’s HAHArena – basically an enormous bouncy castle with smaller inflatable letter shapes on it. They each come with an artistic mission statement that in no way acknowledges that the artist has made a fun thing for kids to jump up and down on repeatedly, and that’s fine – whatever helps the creator sleep.
The smaller works are almost all enjoyable, too, from AA Murakami’s dispenser of smoke-filled bubbles New Spring to Karina Smigla-Bobinski’s ADA, a gigantic inflatable covered in charcoal nibs that scratch out a random doodle on the white walls.
Just about the only work that doesn’t land in some way is SpY’s Ovoids. Despite looking cool, these giant inflatables suspended from the ceiling are roped off and can’t be touched - hence everyone just wanders straight past them because nobody is viewing this as actual art one should contemplate.
To be clear I took my children and they had a great time and if you take your children they’ll have a great time too. And yes, I’ve been mildly insulting about the art, but I’m sure the curators are well aware of the point I’m making: whatever pretensions the Balloon Museum may pretend to have, you don’t inadvertently savant your way into creating something this fun for kids.
