'Invasions de Ballons' Series by Charles Pétillon

‘Souvenirs de Famille’ © Charles Pétillon.

‘Play Station 2′ © Charles Pétillon. “The purpose of this photo is to question the viewer on the uses of games in all forms, their evolution and their influence in society.”

‘CO2′ © Charles Pétillon. “This image is a metaphor for the infinity of the individual, and the collective, daily scars we leave on the world.”

‘Invasions’ © Charles Pétillon. This image provides a look at architectural decay — a structure that once symbolised the future is facing obsolescence and disappearance.

‘Folklore’ © Charles Pétillon.

‘Mutation 2′ © Charles Pétillon. The string of balloons floating within the forest represents an amplification of the molecular structure of DNA. It acts as a symbol of genetic modifications – a metaphor for the stigma left by man in nature.

White balloons spill out the windows and doors of an abandoned house, invade a golf course and overflow from a burnt-out car in whimsical installations by French artist Charles Pétillon. In his Invasions series, Paris-based photographer and installation artist aims to use balloons to alter the way people perceive familiar things and spaces. “These balloon invasions are metaphors,” said the artist. “Their goal is to change the way in which we see the things we live alongside each day without really noticing them.”

To create the effects, Pétillon and his team inflated and tied together the balloons in a warehouse. They were then transported to the chosen locations and hung on aluminium structures. The installations have been photographed empty of people, with the balloons becoming the ghostly occupants of the spaces. Pétillon chose white balloons to create a contrast with the locations. An exhibition of photographs capturing the Invasions series are currently on show at La Maison de la Photographie in Lille, France, from 20 February to 22 March 2015.