Artist Sends 2,000 Pink Happy Faces Into the Sky

An artist tried to lift the February gloom by releasing more than 2,000 pink smiley faces into the air over London.
The Happy Cloud installation filled the air outside the Tate Modern gallery with the faces, made from helium, soap and vegetable dye.

The artist, 28-year-old Stuart Semple, said he wanted to create something that would cheer people up.

"I've had enough of the doom and gloom in the air and I wanted to show something completely positive floating up in the sky," he said.

"This was the most straightforward way I could think of to literally contribute something happy to the atmosphere.

"I am hoping it might put a smile on a few people's faces as they go through their day."

Though the faces were short-lived - each of them lasting only around 30 minutes before dissipating - Mr Semple was pleased with his efforts.

"I know at times like this it's easy to make creativity a low priority but I want to show on a very human level that an artistic idea might be able to do something important, even for a fleeting moment," he said.