Canberra hot air balloon sculpture Skywhale has been grounded and is set to undergo repairs after developing a tear "in one of her breasts" in Ballarat this weekend.
The famous balloon and its partner, Skywhalepapa, were both in Ballarat as part of the touring Every Heart Sings project, but were deflated before lift-off due to the damage Skywhale sustained.
Artist Patricia Piccinini was at the event and said she was in "absolute shock" when her creation had to be deflated.
"But it was awful."
Piccinini said the balloon pilot described "bullets of wind" ripping a 1-metre gash in the seam between two of Skywhale's breasts.
"I don't want to be dramatic, and I know she's in the best place now to be repaired — if she was anywhere in the world, the National Gallery of Australia would be the best place to be because I know they will really look after her, they just care for her so much and will do the best possible job — but it was quite big," she said.
'A whole team that gathers around her'
Senior curator of Australian art at the National Gallery of Australia, Elspeth Pitt, said Skywhale had received a number of small repairs in the past.
"Both Skywhale and Skywhalepapa are magnificent works of art, but they're also operational aircraft," she said.
Ms Pitt said both Skywhale and Skywhalepapa had a "dedicated team that looked after them at the National Gallery".
"They have a curator, who is myself, and a dedicated team of conservationists and a whole team that gathers around her," she said.
Ms Pitt said repairs on the artwork would begin straight away.
"The Skywhales have two specialist textile conservators who are always looking after her and assessing her ahead of each flight or after each flight," she said.
"So those textile conservators will today be working in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which is standard practice, and the repair shouldn't be too difficult at all."
Skywhale is expected to return to the air in September.
