All the Way Up

Jihan zencirli, empress of balloons.

WALKING DOWN MISSION STREET IN SAN FRANCISCO one fine afternoon, my feet literally screeched to a halt. A massive cascade of balloons was draped over a three-story building. This giant, colorful network of celebration spilled gently onto the awning of Mi Ranchito Produce on the ground floor, and I couldn’t figure it out. It was the best art I’d seen all day, and after gawking for a while, I assumed that someone had been assigned “decor” for a party and was doing the most. Later, I realized It was, indeed, the best art of the day, the work of LA’s famous balloon lady, Jihan Zencirli, master of a joyful empire.

Kristin Farr: There is a badass danger to your work. What would people be surprised to know about your job?

Jihan Zencirli: My tanks weigh hundreds of pounds, and I scale 40-foot buildings regularly. Don't think I haven't looked up "at what height can you fall from a building and survive?" None of my crew scales the high heights. That's my job, and thrill, and I can't sleep the night before an installation. I have to take a day or two off after the installation to rest. It is so physically demanding, and I put such an enormous amount of pressure on myself to make sure every detail is perfect, that it's hard for me to enjoy the installation when I immediately finish. I just have to walk away, sleep and then return to sit and appreciate the piece.

Growing up, my mother would say, "I don't care what you choose to do—just do it the best you can," and that is so much a part of me today as I think about making something that is meaningful to people who come into contact with it— and that's the best thing I can do.

I see your work as art, one hundred percent.