mathieu lehanneur's balloon-shaped cauldron rises to celebrate the paralympics' opening

balloon-shaped cauldron ascends to celebrate the Paralympics

Mathieu Lehanneur has played a significant role in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, designing both the Olympic torch and the Cauldron for the Paris Games. The metallic Cauldron, shaped like a giant balloon, is located in the Jardin des Tuileries and has become a centerpiece of this year’s events, rising into the sky to mark the start of the highly anticipated Games. On August 28th, 2024, with the opening of the Paralympics, the Cauldron was lit once more and ascended again to celebrate the beginning of the Paralympiad.

all images courtesy of Mathieu Lehanneur

Mathieu Lehanneur’s Vision for the Paris Paralympic Cauldron

Mathieu Lehanneur describes the Cauldron’s design as monumental, poetic, and modern, with advanced technology at its core. ‘This creation is an ode to lightness,’ the French designer says. To achieve this, every element and technical component had to be carefully optimized for weight. The Cauldron is built around a machined and anodized aluminum structure, with a flame ring that uses techniques from aeronautics. The balloon, filled with helium and measuring 22 meters in diameter, can pull nearly 5 tons, but saving every gram was crucial to ensure a stable flight and smooth ascent into the sky. To mark the start of the Paralympic Games, five French para athletes together lit the cauldron at Jardin des Tuileries. The balloon-shaped Cauldron’s lighting and its ascend served as the centerpiece for the open-air opening ceremony.

United by a common metallic hue, inspired by the fusion of gold, silver, and bronze medals, the Torch, the Relay Cauldron, and the Olympic Cauldron were all designed by Lehanneur as chapters in the same story: the epic journey of the Olympic Flame. The sacred fire was first ignited by the sun’s rays in Olympia and then carried by the Torch across thousands of kilometers—through roadways, oceans, and mountains. At each stopover, the Relay Cauldron was lit, serving as a gathering point. Finally reaching its destination in the heart of Paris, the flame carried by the Olympic Cauldron ascends once more, becoming an Olympic star over the city, as if returning to its original source. ‘This absolutely unique Cauldron represents all the spirit I wanted to give to the Olympic and Paralympic objects. Light, magical and unifying, it will be a beacon in the night and a sun within reach during the day. The fire that burns in it will be made of light and water, like a cool oasis in the heart of summer. I created the Torch, the Relay cauldron and the Olympic Cauldron as three chapters in the same story. The Cauldron is the epilogue and the ultimate symbol of that story. Light, magical and unifying,’ shares Mathieu Lehanneur.

Mathieu Lehanneur has played a significant role in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games