Clown Artist Kenneth Kong Is Done With Balloon Animals
Balloon artist and professional clown Kenneth Kong, aka Clown Sound Sound, talks balloons, girls, and living his double life.
Kenneth Kong works full time at a logistics company. But six years ago, he created his alter ego Clown Sound Sound—a balloon-twisting, magic-making clown whose complex balloon creations of Gundam robots and Chinese deities have won him international accolades, including first place in the World Clown Association’s balloon competition.
How did you get into clowning? I didn’t want to at first. It seemed like a lowly job that required wearing makeup to hide who you are. But I fell in love with balloon art when my mentor on a magic course showed me some tricks. I wanted to get better at it and learn more about clown culture.
What makes a good clown? I used to think clowning was easy, but it’s difficult trying to maintain a calm and cheerful persona. If you have lots of emotional baggage, you won’t be able to perform well. I have to keep telling myself I’m Clown Sound Sound and that I have to let go of my bad moods, and ignore the fact that I’m performing in 40-degree weather or in a messy and noisy environment. It’s about focusing and enjoying the performance. The makeup process alone takes a long time to learn and perfect, so clowning is a big project that goes beyond dressing up and performing. But I like being a performer and being recognized for what I do. You may think I’m successful because I’ve won awards, but my success took years of experience. It didn’t happen overnight. To me, putting on a good show is already a success.
