Co.Design | business + design: Paris-based artist Charles Pétillon has a reputation for filling abandoned spaces with ethereal balloon formations. For his first installation in a public space and his largest undertaking to date, Heartbeat, he injects London's lively and historic Covent Garden with 100,000 hovering white balloons.
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Living in our own worlds, we fail to realize the ecological impact of our art. This summer, we had a discussion with local environmental leaders about the effects of balloon rubber on the world around us. Previously, the camp had used them (specifically for popping purposes) in many programs, especially ones in the water. While we tried our hardest to pick the remnants up afterwards, the fact of the matter is that once you pop a balloon, there is no way to completely get rid of all the traces. This leads to that plastic-rubber material to be absorbed by the ecosystem, and eventually, consumed by organisms. So my question is, what happens when one of these balloons pops? For the sake of the installation, are they going to replace the fallen balloon? And when this installation ultimately meets its end, what will happen to the rubber products? Hopefully the artist takes the necessary precautions to get rid of all the waste.
Reading the article, it is interesting that though this piece is meant to be alive and beating, representing the Market District as the beating heart of the city, it is part of a series in which the artist creates his own view of the apocalypse, focusing on destruction and abandoned buildings. So while one piece imitates and enhances the vibrancy of human life surrounding it, others focus on the emptiness and reclamation of space by the earth in the absence of humanity. This juxtaposition aside, the piece is an interesting concept, and also leads me to wonder, like Katie, what will happen to the balloons when the exhibition is over. Not only is the waste a consideration, but helium balloons deflate over time- how can the artist be sure that his piece will stay the same over the period of the exhibit? If the balloons do change, how will that effect the character of the installation?
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