Charles Pétillon Fills London's Covent Garden With a Cloud of 100,000 Balloons
“I want to represent the market building as the beating heart of the area.”
French artist Charles Pétillon recently filled London’s historical Covent Garden market building with a cloud of 100,000 balloons. Launched in anticipation of the upcoming London Design Festival, the “Heartbeat” installation is the artist’s first public piece of work, which also includes soft pulses of white light that is meant to represent the district’s lively history. Pétillon elaborates, “The balloon invasions I create are metaphors, their goal is to change the way in which see the things we live alongside each day without really noticing them. With ‘Heartbeat’ I want to represent the market building as the beating heart of the area – connecting its past with the present day to re-examine its role at the heart of London’s life.” This unique installation stretches a total of 54 meters beneath the ceiling of the South Hall, and will remain there until September 27. Check out the video below for more information on “Heartbeat” from the artist himself.
