Kingston Unversity Graduate Breathes Life Into The Big 4

Visitors to Channel 4’s London headquarters in Horseferry Road are now being greeted by a 50 foot inflatable number 4, designed by a Kingston University graduate.

The latest take on the "4" was conceived by Kingston fashion graduate Hannah Gourlay who won the channel’s 2010 Big 4 competition with her design "Time to Breathe".

The "Big 4" is a 50 foot high steel structure which was erected in 2007 and in the five years since it's been errected has become an iconic landmark.

Hannah Gourlay's design involved each section of the "4"’s 50 foot steel skeleton being covered with fabric, which is then gently inflated and deflated so it looks as though it is softly breathing. At night it is lit from within to create a gentle glow that slowly lightens and darkens in time with the "breaths".

The finally inflated "4" was the culmination of 10 months work for the 24 year old, who said:

“Seeing the finished design was such an amazing feeling. n the early stages I made an inflatable cube with a light inside it and put it on top of my fridge. My housemate stood behind the fridge and breathed in and out of it.”

To bring the art work to life Hannah collaborated with structural engineers Atelier One and the project was overseen by FreeState, the company which originally constructed the giant structure.