In less than a week, NY-based artist Yazmany Arboleda and 130 volunteers will hand out 10,000 globally-crowdfunded pink balloons in Kabul, Afghanistan via his project We Believe In Balloons. This project combines public art x gifts to citizens of a war-torn country x women’s rights (pink=femininity) x a moment in time that will create a lifelong unique memory.
For decades now, whether during the Soviet Occupation, the Civil War or the Taliban Regime, the Afghan people have been subject to continuous conflict and oppression. As a result, Afghanistan has been starved economically, socially and culturally. Whilst large streams of refugees inundated the cities post 2002, life in more remote areas of the country has remained unchanged, in some instances for decades, in others even for centuries. It is for this reason that they have chosen Kabul, following similar events in Bangalore in India, Nairobi in Kenya, and Yamaguchi in Japan. In each of those places, The Balloon Project disrupted the Monday Morning commute ritual by handing out 10,000 bio-degradable bright balloons, creating a living sculpture that brought about joy, wonderment and a new sense of awareness to people.
Watch this gorgeous 1 minute clip of how and why;
An image from this event in India;
Here’s what this work will look like, how magical;
