KAWS Mascot Is Soaring Over World’s Cities As A Hot Air Balloon You Can Fly In
Image via Fitria Ramli / Shutterstock.com
With air travel still being heavily restricted, the KAWS mascot is taking flight in his own way. Companion, which is the name of the character, is taking over the skies of major cities around the world.
KAWS is the name that American graffiti artist Brian Donnelly more fondly goes by. His illustrated persona isn’t just the face of vinyl toys and UNIQLO T-shirts, but it has also taken on the form of inflated sculptures at Seoul’s Seokchon Lake and Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. And now, CNN reports, Companion will make an appearance as a new hot air balloon.
Images posted on Instagram sees the 138-foot (or 15-story-tall) balloon floating in preparation for the International Balloon Fiesta in Bristol, UK. Companion covers his eyes with his hands, his feet off the ground. This is his first trip as a hot air balloon, and he will make his way to major cities in countries like Australia, China, Spain, and Turkey thereafter.
Fans can even ride the balloon in groups of two or three, though a price for the trip with Companion hasn’t been announced.
Donnelly shared that, with businesses and events being disrupted during the pandemic, he wanted to create art that people could participate in, “rather than having an exhibition-type piece that everyone gathers around,” per a statement obtained by CNN.
What’s next? “When I do these projects it’s not like I’m searching out another medium to work in,” Donnelly elaborated. “Maybe we’re going to have to start going underwater.”
[via CNN Style, images via various sources]
Also check out these recent news
