Uncle Bubble and the Bubble Master
Lin, who was just married in May, was handed the reins of the company by his father Lin Mengsheng in 2007, and he immediately set about thinking up ways the company could build on the foundation laid by his father by building its own brand.
Last July, opportunity knocked. Su Chang-tai, a magician by trade, had just started up Be Fantasy and came to Lin looking for ways to rehearse and create a show around bubbles. The two hit it off immediately, and since then Hold Enterprises has provided bubble liquid to Su for practice purposes. “Having someone like him doing such amazing things with our bubble liquid has been the best possible advertising,” says Lin.
A graduate in theatre arts of Taipei National University of the Arts, the 31-year-old Su has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies, but lacking movie-star good looks made it hard for him to make a name for himself in drama. He decided instead to put his performance skills to use as a magician, and one day he stumbled across a bubble-based show online, inspiring his interest in using bubbles and sparking his desire to become Taiwan’s “bubble master.”
With Lin’s unconditional support, Su shut himself away for months, practicing with bubbles for four to eight hours a day, and gradually developed an intimate understanding of the “personality” and intricacies of bubbles.
At first he would just blow for all he was worth, making bubbles that burst easily. Over time, he came to understand that the most important things are breath consistency and control, so to improve his breath control he forced himself to take up running. A few months later, he could blow for much longer.
He also developed a color-based system for understanding the longevity of bubbles. “When the bubbles look pink or green early on, that’s when they’re strongest and most ready for manipulation. Later they turn purple, yellow, or light blue, and that’s when they’re right on the edge of collapse. Soon after that, they burst.
The extendability and durability of the bubble liquid is critical in determining the potential size of bubbles, but a good understanding of bubbles and blowing techniques can increase the chances of success dramatically.
“Moisture is important too,” says Su. Everything that touches the bubbles needs to be moist, from the tube he uses to blow to the tabletop, otherwise the bubbles will burst more easily.
Due to the effect of gravity, the water in bubbles tends to move downward, making the top the most fragile part and the usual starting point for bursting. Hence when putting his tube into bubbles, Su avoids the top and goes for the sides.
The “Magic Cube” is one of Su’s own inventions. First, he blows three bubbles, forming a triangle, on both of two acrylic boards. Next, he sandwiches the two triangles together, fusing the bubbles and creating a sealed-off, cuboid space inside. Su then inserts a smoke-filled tube into the space and blows a smoke-filled, cuboid bubble; he then reaches in and gently pulls this bubble out. Finally, Su pokes a hole in the bubble, sending smoke leaking out. It truly is a magical sight to behold.