Casting various forms with the help of balloons (and then popping them afterwards) has become a fun whimsy for designers.  Arguably seen first at the Sponge Wall at the Prada store in Beverly Hills in 2004, designed by OMA, this technique has been repeated with numerous materials. Here, we see Rich Gilbert's SuperFoam Chair cast with a liquid foam into a mold of balloons inside a wooden cube formwork. (Also documented extensively via video.)  Photo 4 of 9 in Mold It, Cast It by Tiffany Chu

Mold It, Cast It

4 of 9

Casting various forms with the help of balloons (and then popping them afterwards) has become a fun whimsy for designers. Arguably seen first at the Sponge Wall at the Prada store in Beverly Hills in 2004, designed by OMA, this technique has been repeated with numerous materials. Here, we see Rich Gilbert's SuperFoam Chair cast with a liquid foam into a mold of balloons inside a wooden cube formwork. (Also documented extensively via video.)