BILL KENNEDY

I am an artist and designer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have also been known as a photographer, videographer, skydiver, bungee jumper, parachute rigger, and internet entrepreneur... I was introduced to the field of inflatable art in 2001, but I have been working with the same materials and techniques since the early 90's. Back in the day, I had a very expensive skydiving habit, and I found that I could make a living in the sport as a parachute rigger. So, after some training, traveling, and testing, I became certified by the FAA to pack, maintain, and repair parachute systems, earning the title of Senior Parachute Rigger, or in other words, a parachute mechanic. This is where I learned to sew ripstop nylon, which is the primary fabric I use to make my balloons, and it is also where I learned some of the principles of three-dimensional design. Unlike the round parachutes of the past, today's ram-air parachutes are actually self-inflating, three dimensional airfoils that fly..