This week, a giant, 112-foot-long sleeping infant floated above the shores of Lake Michigan.
It wasn’t a collective hallucination—it was “Baby You,” a breathtaking art installation that captured the imagination of Milwaukeeans over the Summer Solstice.
The spectacle celebrated the U.S. launch of Przekrój, an iconic 75-year-old Polish magazine. Known for observing the world with a “kind and playful eye” (and its tagline: Hard to spell, easy to read), Przekrój chose this whimsical installation to symbolize both its rebirth in America and its editorial mission to unleash the untapped potential in American readers.
Needless to say, the awe-struck crowd loved it, with Milwaukee Record reporter Bert Lauderdale calling it “the best thing I saw all year”, one fan telling CBS 58, “I don’t think any of us have seen anything like this before,” and an Instagrammer posting, “I really want them to make The Giant Baby an annual thing.”
Przekrój was a revolutionary Polish magazine that served as a cultural lifeline to the West during the Cold War. To celebrate the launch of its U.S. English-language online edition, they launched a massive, 112-foot-long baby-shaped balloon over the shores of Milwaukee’s Lake Michigan.
Przekrój’s editorial mission is embodied in “Baby You,” a spectacular sculpture of a newborn floating in the air—symbolizing the untapped potential within all people: unlimited, and waiting to be awakened.
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Meaning “to cut through,” Przekrój (pronounced p-SHEH-crooy) got its name from the fused pages characteristic of older magazine binding techniques which required the reader to cut through and separate the pages with a letter opener. It has run for 80 years.
“We share knowledge because we believe in the unlimited potential within each of us,” said Tomek Niewiadomski, the chairman of the board of the Przekrój Foundation, which publishes Przekrój. “Our goal is to support every reader on their path of personal growth and self-discovery, whether they are searching for the meaning of life or simply seeking to find joy, relax, and appreciate the present moment.
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Building “Baby You” took—aptly—nine months of work with a crew of engineers, designers, and sewers across Europe. Przekrój Foundation partnered with artist Bart Van Peel to troubleshoot the aesthetic, technical, and aeronautical elements needed to make the large balloon airworthy.
New techniques were developed to distribute air throughout the baby’s internal structure, the most challenging being the head. The tan fabric balloon’s colors change with the light, reflecting the many hues of human skin.
WATCH the baby’s inaugural flight below…
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