Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Acquires Lady Gaga Portrait Made from 61,509 BB’s
One-of-a-kind BB face will hang in
Ripley’s Hollywood Odditorium
ORLANDO, Fla. – (Aug. 2, 2010) – Her poker face may be tough to read, but there will be no mistaking the face on a new Lady Gaga portrait acquired by Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
The portrait is a mosaic made from 61,509 Airsoft BB’s – the plastic balls used in a popular type of BB gun.
The artwork was created by Gainesville, Florida artist John O’Hearn, who is primarily a sculptor, but has spent the last few years experimenting with Airsoft BB’s as a medium. The BB’s act as pixels in the mosaics he creates. O’Hearn says he can recreate any picture or portrait from just 5 colors of BB’s – red, yellow, blue, black and white. This project took about a month to finish.
The Lady Gaga mosaic is 4 feet high and is 8 feet wide. It contains:
- 303 plastic tubes
- Each tube contains 203 BB’s
- 61,509 BB’s in all
“This is a spectacular work of art,” said Edward Meyer, VP of Exhibits and Archives for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! “O’Hearn uses computer technology and an unusual medium to put a modern-day spin on pointillism.”
Unique Celebrity Portraits at Ripley’s
Lady Gaga joins an exclusive list of unique celebrity portraits that hang in Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Odditoriums worldwide, including President Obama, Michael Jackson and Dean Cain all made from gumballs, Eminem and Elvis made from M&M’s, Princess Diana made from dryer lint, Beyonce, Marilyn Monroe and Mo’Nique made from licorice and gummy bears, Taylor Swift made from pink and white Good N’ Plenty candies and the Beatles made from chicken wire. Another John O’Hearn creation hangs in Ripley’s St. Augustine, Florida Odditorium – a portrait of football quarterback Tim Tebow made from 46,000 BB’s.
The Lady Gaga portrait will go on display in Ripley’s Hollywood Odditorium in Spring 2011 following an extensive museum renovation and remodel over the winter months.
To view downloadable high-resolution images of the Lady Gaga portrait, go to Ripley’s Newsroom.
Media contact:
Tim O’Brien
VP Communications
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
Office – 615-646-7465
Cell – 615-496-5949
About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 13 million annually at its 80 attractions in 11 countries. In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.