Ken Cox, 1969

Ken Cox's fan-powered balloon sculptures were exhibited in his first solo exhibition at Lisson, 'Kinetic Poems' in 1968.

He discussed his  solo show with Elizabeth Glazebrook in June 1968: "The first balloons were paper and then I switched to nylon. My wife machines them. Swells up with air, revolves, reflector light in it. By closing slits – can change it. I can make them smaller and issue them as multiple – sort of sculptural lights. Beautiful at night.

Different colours based on a Chinese concept of the four elements plus heaven. In one of these canons of symbolism, there are five colours. Red for fire, yellow for earth, green for water, blue for heaven and white for air. So I am having five balloons in those colours and there will be little poems, elemental arrangements of words, suggestive for the five elements, silkscreened on to these, and should be seen as a group. […]"