An Edmonton man has created a scene from the television show The Walking Dead – using balloons.
Rupert Appleyard has been making balloon art professionally since 2003 and has performed at various festivals in the Capital Region.
In April, a representative from AMC contacted Appleyard after seeing balloon art he had created of a character from the show. He was asked to contribute a piece of Walking Dead balloon art to a video the channel was producing to showcase fan art of AMC shows.
“Oh my goodness, it’s from The Walking Dead, which is one of my favourite shows on TV. I was over the moon,” he said.
Appleyard, whose stage name is Phileas Flash, started making the balloon art piece in August. It features a life-size representation of the character Darryl along with zombies stretching out their arms trying to grab him.
The balloon artist, who said he did not design the piece before starting, said it took him one week to create the scene.
“Working with balloons is like wrestling with snakes. I have a vague idea in my head of what I want to achieve. I work with the balloons to get as close to that vision as I can,” he said.
“It’s a giant balloon undertaking to make.”
The piece is roughly six feet high, 10 feet across and eight feet in depth. He estimates there are thousands of balloons in the scene, adding the fence was made up of 200 to 300 balloons.
However, it isn’t the largest balloon art Appleyard has created – he once made a 50-foot tall Jack and the Beanstalk balloon piece.
The video showcasing Appleyard’s balloon art has been playing as a promotional video on AMC, and the artist said he signed a confidentiality agreement stating he could not speak out about his participation until recently.
As for what he thought when he saw his balloon on the TV screen?
“My heart skipped a beat. It was perfect.”
Appleyard calls it a career highlight.
“To be given the opportunity to make something that’s basically being commissioned by the channel that makes The Walking Dead – it’s a dream come true.”
Here are a few of the other pieces Appleyard has created: