Improv Inflatables – Joseph Paetz

I approached constructing my inflatables from a few different angles. For some I had no idea what I wanted to make and just taped pieces together. For others I had an idea of what I wanted the pieces to be shaped like, but didn’t know what it would turn out like. Finally, for one I knew what I wanted to make, but it didn’t turn out like I expected.

Inflatable 1

This was my first inflatable, and I just started taping pieces together. I saw the handle section of the bags and decided that it would be interesting to include a couple.

Inflatable 2

Like with the first inflatable, I had no idea what I was going to make when I started this inflatable. However, instead of choosing pieces at random, I chose one piece shape and cut a copy of that shape out of all three colors. That allowed me to keep a consistent pallet and have some symmetry. I also experimented with using the corners of the bags since they are already sealed.

Inflatable 3

For my third inflatable, I wanted to try using a bunch of triangles with the sides bowed inward. I folded an orange and green bag several times to be able to cut several of the shapes at once. After attaching those together, I decided to use the remainder of the bags as the shape that makes up the top. I wasn’t sure exactly what the shape would end up as, but it worked out. I also developed a way to tape together curves quickly (if not very air-tight) while working on this inflatable.

Inflatable 4

For this inflatable, I started out with the plan to make a cube with pointy corners. However, after cutting some pieces, I realized it was going to be way to small, so taped the pieces together into a spiky panel and then finished the piece off with larger sheets to give it more volume.

Inflatable 5

For my last inflatable, I wanted to make a wire-frame cube. I guessed at how to make the corners, and as a result, some are too tight or too wide. This inflatable also had the most persistent leaks out of any of the ones I built. Especially at the inside corners. I thought it was interesting that my least successful inflatable was also the one where I did the most planning on. I much prefer some of the inflatables where I just went in with no plan.