Heartbeat

It was as technical director that I worked with Charles Pétillon to create Heartbeat, an immersive art installation in Covent Garden.

The floating white cloud symbolised the hustle and bustle of the market hall during the day, transforming into a poetic light installation representing the heartbeat of the city at night.

This experience offers Covent Garden a captivating and accessible cultural event that everyone can visit, understand and enjoy at any time.

Layout

The installation took place in the south hall. This site is usually used for temporary events.

The installation, a giant white cloud made of balloons, was securely attached to the hall’s structure without causing any damage. The design and location of the artwork did not interfere with pedestrian traffic in the south hall at any time.

No part of the artwork touched walls, nor the metal structure. It was floating in the air, under the canopy lights limited (7,5 m height). The cloud was secured, to ensure that it won’t move with the wind. No part of the artwork could be touch or damage by people. Balloons
were floating 3 m heigh from the ground and 1,5 m from the railings.

Size of the installation : 54 m long to 13 meter wide.

The balloon structure was inflate off-site and the all installation was divided into 4 sections to ensure maximum efficiency on site. Each section was able to move up and down on request (motor control system). We built the balloon structure on the ground, without any scissor lift.

The installation took place between 10 pm and 6 am so as to avoid disruption to the business within the vicinity.

It was a great experience and working with a team coming from all over the world was a real challenge. In addition, we had a temporary art gallery close to the hall, where we showed Charles PETILLON artwork. It was an exciting time and good memories.