As part of Melbourne Design Week, Hub Furniture commissioned LA-based Turkish artist Jihan Zencirli (aka GERONIMO) to create three epic balloon installations in each of their Melbourne locations. In the early hours of Sunday morning, Melbourne experienced extreme winds, and just five days after the installations launched, a good portion of them were destroyed.

The following is an extract from an essay by Hub’s owner and Director, Jacqueline Foti-Lowe, written in her car at 5am on the morning of the storms after racing to find the fate of Diminishing Elation.

‘I always planned to let this installation age gracefully. I knew it would get a bit haggard but I didn’t think it would bother me. And it mostly doesn’t. I’ve toyed with the idea of blowing up some fresh balloons and sneaking them in, in an effort to help it along but how would that work? Would a few plump, balloons inserted here and there really fool anyone? The whole body of work screams of its journey. Of time. Those few insertions would surely look odd. It’s tempting but I don’t think we can recapture it in that way….it has to be left to age.

I must say, I didn’t expect it to age quite so quickly. Literally overnight. Anyone who saw it yesterday might be a bit shocked to see it now and I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think there will be much left by Tuesday. Even now, its structure, once wrapped in the plumpness of its body is starting to reveal itself. It won’t make it to the end of the week, I’m fairly certain of that.

I worry that some people might be disappointed. This probably isn’t what they have come to see, certainly not what has been so heavily represented in social media over the past few days. It will be interesting if, in its decline, it receives the same kind of celebration for its transitional beauty. I’m hopeful. The immediate question: where is the beauty in this now? It has lost its volume, its fullness – so what is left?

Don’t expect so much of it today. Let it rest a bit, as it is. It gave its everything yesterday. Today, come in a bit closer. Take the time to look beyond what you thought you might see and look for the beauty that is right in front of you. There’s a message it will whisper to you if you are willing to listen.’

Although the exterior installations at The Hub General Store in Collingwood and the Hub Abbotsford store have well and truly diminished, you can see go to see the interior installation by GERONIMO at the Collingwood location!

Diminishing Elation by GERONIMO
March 15th-25th 
The Hub General Store
36 Cambridge Street
Collingwood, 3066

Read Jaci’s essay in its entirety here

This event is part of Melbourne Design Week. View the full program of events at  ngv.vic.gov.au/melbourne-design-week.