Photos: Jimmy Kuehnle, the Inflatable Suit Man, Walks Through Downtown St. Louis
PostedByNick Lucchesi
on Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 3:19 PM
St. Louis native and performance artist Jimmy Kuehnle took a walk through Downtown St. Louis on Friday afternoon. Kuehnle "wears," although that isn't the most accurate term, a giant inflatable suit that draws attention wherever he goes. St. Louis was the fourth and final stop on Kuehnle's tour.
Performance artist and St. Louis native Jimmy Kuehnle walks toward the Gateway Arch to begin his inflatable suit performance at noon on Friday, December 18. Kuehnle's performance went through three other cities before making its final stop in St. Louis. See a slideshow of Kuehnle's journey in St. Louis.
Kuehnle starts laying out his suit, which he will then fill using a battery pack in his bookbag that connects to a fan in the suit. Kuehnle has been performing in inflatable suits since 2006. See a slideshow of Kuehnle's journey in St. Louis.
With his suit filled with air, Kuehnle begins his journey, heading toward the city. Kuehnle uses multiple inflatable suits for his performances, but chose this suit, which is called Big Red. See a slideshow of Kuehnle's journey in St. Louis.
A woman looks out from a door to get a better glimpse of Kuehnle and his suit.
Photo: Nick Schnelle
A group of businessmen try and duck under the suit as Kuehnle walks the streets. Kuehnle designs his suits to be as obtrusive as possible -- the better for getting reactions from people. See a slideshow of Kuehnle's journey in St. Louis.