I have a new love and it is ‘Heartbeat‘ in Covent Garden, the art installation by Charles Petillon. He is famous for his balloon clusters that invade and burst out of spaces (named his ‘invasions’) and this was his first large public piece. The balloons gently pulse with light, the heartbeat, of London’s heart, Covent Garden.
Beautiful metaphors aside, seeing over 100,000 balloons in a 19th century building is worth a gander in and of itself. But the ordered chaos of their assembly is stunning. Sam and I stood admiring it from many different angles on Sunday afternoon. Outside the market place, next to the Royal Opera House is a shop that has been sparsely taken over as a pop-up gallery for some of Petillon’s other photographs of balloon invasions, as well as a fascinting, short film about how he assembles his work.
I loved it because it just made you happy to look at it. Pure happiness. As much as I want to see Banksy’s Dismaland, I think it’s equally important to embrace art that gives you joy and that will bring a smile to the face of the most cold-hearted Londoner.
You only have till the 27th of September to see it, so I highly recommend making up a reason to be in the Covent Garden area in the next three weeks.
It just brings a smile to my face. What you do think? Do you have any local installations that you are currently loving?
