Paper Moon, 2016
Site-specific installation
Boughton House, near Kettering, Northamptonshire
26 – 29 August 2016
2.5m diameter helium balloon, 2.5kW HMI lamp, cable, ropes, sandbags
Curated by Lisa-Raine Hunt, the project was part of Greenbelt Festival 2016
Lighting balloon technology: Airstar UK
Paper Moon (titled after the song It’s Only a Paper Moon) was a temporary site-specific installation on the grounds of Boughton House, Northamptonshire, during Greenbelt Festival 2016. Inspired by the beauty of the formal landscape and the title of the festival — Silent Stars — the idea was to place a bright light balloon by the great lake of the estate, to be seen across the water from the festival grounds. Hanging in the sky above an empty historic plinth standing on the grand middle axis of the garden, the balloon shone above the Broad Water lake like a temporary new moon, evoking a sense of stillness.