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I first met Jennifer Shannon (@jenn.ifer_shannon) at Art All Night 2015, when she did wandering bubble performances that wowed the small crowds that gathered to see her artistry at each stop. I just finished shooting another performance when I turned to see what the ooh’s and ah’s were about. I caught only three minutes of her act but what I saw and photographed was bubble magic, and it inspired my best images of the night (including one that garnered awards and covers). And so it has continued–finding each other just once or twice a year but always resulting in something wonderful. Whether as her 2015 character, the Bubble Faerie Marigold Bumble Root, the elfish bubble wizard of 2017, the sexier fire-throwing vixen of 2018, or the crowned bubble queen of this year’s Art All Night, Jennifer always elevates bubble blowing into art.
Look at these images closely–you will see it. It is the dance between the performer and the spirit, the momentary wonder, the promise, the will of the wisp. And it is not just in the beauty of the bubbles, it is also in the dancer, the actress and the wizard that creates, nurtures, develops and bids farewell to them. It is in the way she gazes at the ephemeral orbs, the position of each finger, the caring caresses, and the tender goodbyes she offers to her fragile creations as they float away and eventually burst into droplets and vanish. This is not blowing bubbles. This is art and artistry. It is dance. It is whimsy. It is magic.
At this year’s Art All Night, Jennifer performed as part of her fire spinning group, Quintessence. As such, the bubble portion of the set was shorter than in the past, but still drew the same ooh’s and ah’s as always. And, as always, I am happy that I was there both to photograph and be awed by Jennifer’s art and the beauty of the bubble.
