A moment of wonder, a glimpse of beauty, an uplifting sensation communicated through form and material. Lighten Up represents the moment of release of a cluster of balloons. It’s simultaneously a moment of joy and dismay, balloons freed from their constraints and rising into the air – and then coming to rest under a ceiling. Still in sight, but out of reach.

This permanent public art project is located in midtown Toronto, at the corner of Yonge & Lawrence, adjacent to a subway entrance and a busy commercial address. Commissioned by First Capital Realty, the complex work is formed as a series of cast aluminum ‘balloons’, suspended high above the street, with one companion balloon, deflated and resting on the sidewalk.