Balloon artist Jeremy Telford at work on his replica of Bag End. Those are balloons, not sausages.
You have some spare time. You know your way around a balloon. And you really like The Hobbit.
So you make a replica of Bag End. Of course!
If you’re an obsessed fan like balloon artist Jeremy Telford, over three days, for ten to fifteen hours a day, you inflate, twist, bend, smoosh and lash together some 2,600 balloons in your family den.
You make walls, a ceiling, roof beams, a fireplace. You make a pantry with doors and handles, chairs, a table, a chandelier, and even a roaring fire. (Not a real fire. That might, uh, pop a few balloons.)
All made of balloons.
Like others who make Tolkien-inspired fan art (like this Minis Tirith made entirely out of matchsticks), you have to be patient and very dedicated. And very talented. And a little OCD.
Our friends over at TheOneRing.net clued me in on this balloon nut, who according to the website of his company, Balloon Guy Entertainment, is based in Pleasant Grove, Utah, and is the author of the how-to-be-a-balloon-artist book Balloonology.
Telford towards the end of his balloon Bag End quest.
Here’s the time-lapse video of the entire, three-day project, from beginning to end. Be sure to watch all of it for a little treat — some kids, presumedly Telford’s, trashing the balloon creation.
