A Photographer Creates Fantasy Worlds Inhabited by Mylar Balloons

Christine Anderson spent four months taking photographs of Mylar balloons inside a New Jersey supermarket. From there, she combined her balloon images with “real” photographs, resulting in the fantastic ongoing series she titled “Inflatable.” 

“I wanted to have a conversation about materials,” she wrote via email. “And how plastics have become a natural part of our environment.”

Anderson’s background is in fine art, a passion that began when she was a child and would use whatever artistic medium was available to her. She studied painting in college, where she used photography as a “sketchbook for my paintings.” After graduation, she became serious about photography once she realized she could incorporate all of the skills she had learned into that practice.

“When I started to focus on photography I had no idea where it would take me, so I am taking it day by day,” she wrote.

For the past year, that path has been centered on “Inflatable.” A lot of the work is her way of taking everyday objects and presenting them in an entirely different perspective; she said she likes to use reality to create fantasy worlds and prefers for the viewer to interpret them however they please.

“Sometimes I let the pictures speak like poetry,” she wrote.

Anderson said although she often tries to find a simple photograph to tell a story, inevitably that takes longer than when she creates her own images. A lot of her work is about pushing past her own boundaries and breaking rules.

“I want to see what I can do,” she wrote. “Sometimes it works well, sometimes not. I understand that not everyone will understand what I am doing; I could play safe and leave it at that but that is not what I am about.”

“Creative expression is something is not just for making of artwork,” she added. “It is something you should aspire to do in everything you do. I think if people bring creative expression to what ever they are doing they would be happier. Being creative is not limiting yourself by thinking what you can’t do but thinking what you can do. Being creative is doing something even though you know chances you will fail are high but the rewards of succeeding are higher.”

Anderson’s work will be on view at Hamilton Street Gallery in New Jersey through June 23.