nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.

the whimsical words of winnie the pooh have now become the essence of design, on display in london’s legendary covent garden. located on the west end of london, covent garden’s south hall market has been selected as the focus of french artist, charles pétillon’s latest and greatest exhibition to fill the 19^th-century building with 100, 000 white balloons.

floating below the glass and steel ceiling, the balloons create the imagery of dreamy clouds, pulsing with light like a beating heart. the piece, titled heartbeat, begins the london design festival, running from september 19-27. the balloons will glow for one week before, to ready the audience for the event.

covent garden itself sits as an open air gallery to showcase pieces from up and coming innovative designers. specifically, the designers selected consist of those who can integrate their work with the building and environment, perfectly fitting for the photographer and visual artist, pétillon. 

known for using white balloons in his pieces in an attempt to alter the perspective of the way people view things and places, pétillon speaks of this piece stating, “the market building was the beating heart of this area. with heartbeat i’m connecting its past with the present to allow visitors to reexamine its role at the heart of london’s life.”

in my opinion, his piece offers one of the most delicate and intriguing ways to create visual interest in an interior. his work does so in such a simple yet striking manner, that he compels the audience to look up, an action often forgotten when entering a new interior. his vision is one to be admired and what i too hope to achieve one day as a designer.