Bio | Balloon Hat

ADDI SOMEKH

Addi Somekh lives in Los Angeles and creates abstract balloon art with his company New Balloon Art. His hobbies include playing racquetball, playing music, and making broad, unsubstantiated generalizations. Addi also teaches a course at UC Santa Cruz called “Meaning, Paradox and Love”.

CHARLIE Eckert

Charlie Eckert is a freelance photojournalist and video producer covering breaking news. He contributed reporting, research and videography to a New York Times/Frontline investigation on fantasy sports. His past coverage has included the war in Afghanistan and Haiti's 2010 earthquake.

Addi and Charlie published a book called The Inflatable Crown (Chronicle Books, 2001) - a How-To book that has their photos from around the world, and teaches how to make 18 hats, the Balloon Flower and the Balloon Ring. It is out of print, but used copies are found online.

In 2001, the two also collaborated on a book called “Painting and Ideas,” about Mary Holmes, a painter and emeritus art historian at UC Santa Cruz.

Addi and Charlie collaborated once again in 2006 when they shot and directed a documentary called Shoot to Miss: The Arrowmaster Story, about the life on the road of an aging archery trick shot performer and his young contortionist assistant, as they tour elementary schools in rural New Mexico.

INFLATABLE PLANET

ADDI SOMEKH

CHARLIE Eckert

Addi and Charlie published a book called The Inflatable Crown (Chronicle Books, 2001) - a How-To book that has their photos from around the world, and teaches how to make 18 hats, the Balloon Flower and the Balloon Ring. It is out of print, but used copies are found online.

In 2001, the two also collaborated on a book called “Painting and Ideas,” about Mary Holmes, a painter and emeritus art historian at UC Santa Cruz.

Addi and Charlie collaborated once again in 2006 when they shot and directed a documentary called Shoot to Miss: The Arrowmaster Story, about the life on the road of an aging archery trick shot performer and his young contortionist assistant, as they tour elementary schools in rural New Mexico.

CONTACT

ADDI SOMEKH

CHARLIE Eckert

Addi and Charlie published a book called The Inflatable Crown (Chronicle Books, 2001) - a How-To book that has their photos from around the world, and teaches how to make 18 hats, the Balloon Flower and the Balloon Ring. It is out of print, but used copies are found online.

​

In 2001, the two also collaborated on a book called “Painting and Ideas,” about Mary Holmes, a painter and emeritus art historian at UC Santa Cruz.

​

Addi and Charlie collaborated once again in 2006 when they shot and directed a documentary called Shoot to Miss: The Arrowmaster Story, about the life on the road of an aging archery trick shot performer and his young contortionist assistant, as they tour elementary schools in rural New Mexico.

​

CONTACT