When it comes to talents and skills, my nation is probably known throughout the world for two things only: Technology, and Hummus.

Actually, that’s alright, because there are almost daily tech, computers and web innovations here, and the number and expertise of our tech geeks is no doubt one of our greatest achievements. I don’t know about the Hummus. I don’t like it. Don’t tell anyone.

It does have one minor side effect - around the web, we are The Ones Who Live in the Greyness that is advanced tech life. (Actually, my laptop is lime-colored with orange dots on it. No, I’m actually lying). We are often viewed as those who do something important but not really interesting outside the business or computer community.

Knowing this, you can imagine my excitement at the first appearance of Ori Livney, an Israeli Balloon artist, here at 5min. Ori was introduced to most of the Israeli public with an amazingly beautiful television commercial for a cellular company (you can watch it here, but I admit it’s more fun when you understand the words). Ori’s studio looks like a candy store - it’s full of color, sweets-like huge balloons, and amazing creations like a shark, a motorcycle, a whole underwater reef and even some presidential candidates.

Ori works with his hands, blows the balloons up himself, and starts up with some very basic balloon twisting tips and simple figures, getting even into the proper way to blow up a balloon.

Check out Ori demonstrating how to make a balloon flower, and one of his presidential candidates.

Ori’s work is so stunning to me that when I checked up his studio, the first image that came to mind was that of Jareth the Goblin King from Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. Remember how he would create soap bubbles between his fingers, turning them from clear to solid and back, and inside floated the dreams of young Sara? Ori’s balloons are maybe just slightly less see-through and most likely take more work to create, but the magic is there.

Ori and Jareth (David Bowie). Find the Differences.

(source for Jareth’s photo: http://bookshelvesofdoom.blogs.com)

(Source for Ori’s photo: http://www.millenniumjam.com)