Dezeen Magazine

Pont de Singe bridge by Olivier Grossetête

French artist Olivier Grossetête used three enormous helium balloons to float a rope bridge over a lake in Tatton Park, a historic estate in north-west England.

Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête

Oliver Grossetête created Pont de Singe, which means "monkey bridge", for the Tatton Park Biennial, which this year was themed around flight.

Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête

Located in the park's Japanese garden, the structure comprised a long rope bridge made of cedar wood held aloft by three helium-filled balloons. The ends of the bridge were left to trail in the water.

Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête

Above: photograph by Thierry Bal

Though visitors weren't allowed to use the bridge, it would theoretically be strong enough to hold the weight of a person, according to Grossetête.

Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête

Replacing the usual foundations and joints of a bridge with three balloons leads us to question our perceptions, the artist explained. "My artistic work tries to make alive the poetry and dreams within our everyday life," added Grossetête.

Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête

The artist had previously experimented with another floating bridge in his 2007 project Pont Suspendu, where he used a cluster of helium balloons to float a small bridge structure into the air.

Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête

Above: photography is by Toby Savage

Balloons have appeared in a number of projects we've featured on Dezeen, including a proposal for a transport network of enormous floating balloons and a bench that appears to be held up by bunches of balloons at each end.

Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête

Above: photography is by Toby Savage

We've also featured lots of unusual bridges on Dezeen, such as a wobbling wire bridge designed to span the Seine in Paris and a sunken bridge in a moat that brings the water up to a pedestrian's eye level.

Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête

Above: photography is by Toby Savage

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Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête

Photographs are by Olivier Grossetête except where stated.