Book excerpt: A balloon artist and photographer travel the world surprising people with improvised, inflatable crowns and offer a deep view into the nature of joy. The simple act of twisting a balloon for a complete stranger can make people instant friends. This idea animated balloon artist Addi Somekh and photographer Charlie Eckert to improvise balloon crowns for unsuspecting people throughout thirty-five countries and document their reactions. Part photography book, part sociological study, part spontaneous party, Inflatable Planet chronicles features of over two hundreds photos from this international experiment in joy.