Interview: Jimmy Kuehnle's Inflatable Suits at Art Outside

For his profession, Jimmy Kuehnle wears a strange uniform. The sculptor and performance artist creates giant inflatable suits that he fills with air with the help of a backpack mounted fan. Kuehnle then ambles down city streets surrounded by billowing layers of inflated nylon. Earlier this year, lucky passers-by and Fusebox Festival participants may have caught Kuehnle's performances in downtown Austin. Currently the Philip C. Curtis Artist in Residence at Albion College in Albion, Michigan, Kuehnle will be returning to the heart of Texas this weekend for Art Outside. We got a chance to ask Jimmy about his work, and the ever present dangers of working in a giant balloon-like suit.

What will you be bringing to Art Outside?

I will bring large inflatable suits. The number will be determined by how many I can get into my suitcases before my baggage is overweight. I doubt that TSA will let me wear one on the plane. Hopefully I will have the classic, Big Red, the recent You Wear What I Wear and a suit that I am currently finishing up.

Describe your creative process.

I start by thinking about what would be a lot of fun to have and to run around town with. Then I think about how big I can make it. I strive to make the work absurd to the point that viewers catch themselves in wonder. That is why I have many square edges in the suits because inflatables are not naturally square. After I get the general idea, I sketch it out to decide on the amount of fabric that I will need. Each suit can use thousands of yards of thread and lots of sewing machine time.

Everything begins to pay off as pedestrians stop what they are doing to watch the suits begin to inflate. It is even better to see the smiles on their faces as I begin to walk away wearing the suit. The suits are designed to be highly portable. I can throw one on the back of my bicycle, pedal into town and then before long I am the biggest thing on the street.

Is it more difficult to perform in urban environments or in the great outdoors? Which setting results in more hassle and repairs? What do you like about taking your art to different environments?

The urban environment is much more dangerous, but is also a lot of fun. Everything from grime on the road, vacuum zones from passing buses, sharp awnings, street signs, sandwich boards outside shops and a variety of other modern day hazards await an urban performer. In the great outdoors there are less obstacles, but the imagery is grand. I truly enjoy the juxtaposition of something as unnatural as an inflatable suit next to the raw landscape. I look forward to this at Art Outside.

Continue reading this post after the jump for more questions and answers with Jimmy Kuehnle. Kuehnle will be performing at this weekend's Art Outside. Art Outside will take place on October 9th, 10th, and 11th at Apache Pass in Rockdale, Texas. Tickets are on sale now: Three Day Event and Camping Passes are available for $50, Day Passes are available for $29, and children 12 and under are free.