all images © Paul Grover

The ''Heartbeat'' art installation stretches 54 meters across the ceiling of the building’s South Hall and measures 12 meters wide, designed by French artist Charles Pétillon for London's Covent Garden Market. Charles Pétillon loves white balloons as it is understood from his earlier works called ''invasions''. The temporary artwork set up a team of 25 people five nights to inflate the individually sized balloons, which collectively weigh 320 kilos. Heartbeat is Pétillon’s first balloon installation made viewable to the public. 

This cloud-like balloon installation invaded the heart of London’s Covent Garden Market that filled with 100,000 giant balloons. ''Heartbeat'' is the largest artwork of Charles Pétillon, has been set up in the middle of commercial building that changed the dynamism of the London district. Charles Pétillon's ''heartbeat'' will stay for a month.

“The balloon invasions I create are metaphors. Their goal is to change the way in which we 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 this area – connecting its past with the present day to allow visitors to re-examine its role at the heart of London’s life,” says Pétillon. “Each balloon has its own dimensions and yet is part of a giant but fragile composition that creates a floating cloud above the energy of the market below. This fragility is represented by contrasting materials and also the whiteness of the balloons that move and pulse appearing as alive and vibrant as the area itself.”

In his interview for CNN Style, he says that ''when you put so many balloons in a space, you create a contrast, a strange poetry. This is one of the goals of the installation. It's just like a wave - there's a rhythm. It's more natural, more organic. I was a bit frightened at the very beginning because...I didn't know if it was good. I've tried to create an interesting, immersive experience, but it's for people to decide if they like it or not.'' 

''Everybody on this earth knows exactly what a small balloon is. A small child in China, America or Europe - it's universal. They look cheap. I hope I've developed a kind of language thanks to this. If you put balloons in different spaces, you can express many different things, many questions. I don't need anything else.''

> via edition.cnn.com/style