Not your parents' balloon animals

Somewhere in between trick-or-treating and screaming my lungs out this weekend for the Phillies, I've got to get over to SkyBox Studios in Fishtown, where artist Jason Hackenwerth's show opens tonight, for a four week run.  Curated by Eileen Tognini,  it's called "The Titan and the Fireflies," and you won't believe it unless you see it.

Jason is a balloon artist, which I could describe in detail here. But I'll let  Daily News videographer extraordinaire Sarah Glover show you what Hackenwerth does in this wonderful video she just posted on the philly.com website. She shot Jason in the process of creating his exhibition, so the final frames of her video portray a work still in progress, not completed. You'll have to head over to SkyBox to see the final result:  Gigantic, twisted balloons, suspended from the rafters of the studio's two-story tall atrium, strategically lit and just cool as all get-out.

Have a gander at Sarah's video and Hackenwerth's website, and ponder just how ethereal "captured air" (my term) can appear when in the hands of an energetic artist who was raised by a mom made her living twisting balloon animals for kids' parties.

Here's pertinent info about the show:

Opening Party
Friday October 30, 7-10pm

Exhibition
October 31 - November 28
Tuesday - Saturday
12 - 6 pm

Sky Box
2424 East York Street
Philadelphia, PA 19125