They look like balloons, but these animals are actually made of blown glass. Chris Ahalt, an artist in Minnesota, made them. They're held aloft with wire. The sculptures sway slightly in order to simulate the real movements of balloons in a breeze. It's a playful concept that, Ahalt explains, reflect the innocent joy of childhood:
Balloons, to me, suggest celebration, children and wonder. The iconic animals that I pick appeal to those child-like sensibilities as well. Most of us grow up with a favorite animal, and the idea of turning ones favorite animal into a balloon seems a fitting marriage that is hard to dislike.
Ahalt is a student of what he calls the Venetian approach to glassblowing. He studied in that city under the tutelage of Cesare Toffolo, a master of that school of glassblowing.
-via Lustik