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Cloud-Like Clusters of White Balloons Invade Ordinary Environments

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French artist extraordinaire Charles Pétillon is renowned for his dreamy photographs of out-of-place white balloons. Known as Invasions, the striking series of puzzling pictures challenges reality and draws attention to overlooked spaces and places.

From quiet forests and deserted beaches to abandoned houses and empty playgrounds, Pétillon places clusters of illuminated, variously-sized white balloons in unexpected, mundane locations. Though we may ordinarily ignore or take such sights for granted, the addition of the ethereal installations shows them in a new light. Whether floating in a forest or seemingly spilling out of a doorway, the inventive illusions turn run-of-the-mill spaces into eye-catching spectacles and add an imaginative twist to everyday life.

Last year, Pétillon filled the bustling Market Building in London’s Covent Garden with 100,000 luminous balloons. Like his photographs, the public piece played with perception by simultaneously transforming and echoing its surroundings. “Each balloon has its own dimensions and yet is part of a giant but fragile composition that creates a floating cloud above the energy of the market below,” Pétillon explained.

Pétillon’s wondrous work will be on display in Paris’ Magda Danysz Gallery until January 14, 2017.

See how Pétillon uses white balloons to transform an otherwise ordinary landscape.

IGLOO 1INVASIONS SOUVENIRS DE FAMILLE ANARCHITECTURES FRAGILITE CONVERSATIONS  PLAYSTATION 2 CLOUD COMPUTINGIGLOO 2

Charles Pétillon: Website 
h/t: [Colossal]

All images via Charles Pétillon.

Kelly Richman-Abdou

Kelly Richman-Abdou is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. An art historian living in Paris, Kelly was born and raised in San Francisco and holds a BA in Art History from the University of San Francisco and an MA in Art and Museum Studies from Georgetown University. When she’s not writing, you can find Kelly wandering around Paris, whether she’s leading a tour (as a guide, she has been interviewed by BBC World News America and France 24) or simply taking a stroll with her husband and two tiny daughters.
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