Drum beats rang through the walls as white balloons flooded the walkway in front of Round Table Pizza at about 2 p.m. today when five students from Art 7, Introduction to Art and Visual Culture, performed a representation of an artery clogged by fat.

The white balloons with the word “fat” written on them represented fat cells, while two students dressed in red crawling through the walkway represented blood pumping through an artery, Jessica White, a sophomore member of the group, said.

The two-minute performance began with a slow drumbeat representing a normal heartbeat as blood pumped through the artery.

The more fat cells that enter the artery, the faster the heartbeat, which was emphasized by the drumbeats.

“Some people asked if the balloons are soccer balls and some asked if it’s an obstacle course,” said Miguel Mata, another sophomore group member. “But after they watched for a while, they understood.”

The performance was part of a group project for the art class designed to make public statements pertaining to society issues, Mata said.

While other groups in the class chose such topics as homelessness, the environment and pollution, Mata said his group agreed on the importance of healthy eating.

At first, the group wanted to do a bigger production with a tunnel, but due to a lack of time to prepare, the University Union turned out to be the perfect venue to attract the most attention, White said.

“We’re just trying to promote healthy eating,” White said.

Mary Chou can be reached at [email protected]