Hong Kong balloon artist breaks world record with 42-metre dragon sculpture made of 38,000 balloons to usher in Year of the Dragon
- Wilson Pang’s installation for TMTPlaza in Tuen Mun has been awarded the Guinness World Record for the ‘largest balloon sculpture of a dragon’
- The two-time champion of the World Balloon Convention says he wanted to show the world that Hong Kong has kept its cultural elements intact
Balloon artist Wilson Pang Sze-tai has amused and delighted many with his craft over the past 12 years. Last week, he unveiled his biggest and most impressive achievement yet.
Measuring 41.77 metres (137 feet) long and consisting of 38,000 hand-tied biodegradable balloons, his latest piece – a dragon-shaped installation made for TMTPlaza, a shopping mall in Hong Kong’s Tuen Mun area – broke not only a personal record but also the Guinness World Record for the “largest balloon sculpture of a dragon”.
“It was fulfilling to bring home a Western marker of success using the traditional Chinese symbol of a dragon,” says Pang, 36, of the work created to usher in the Year of the Dragon, which begins on February 10.
“I wanted to show the world that Hong Kong has kept its cultural elements intact.”
But when Pang began his career as a magician-for-hire, working with balloons wasn’t part of the plan – let alone creating a sculpture of this magnitude.
