Francois Ollivier's photographs of the preparations behind an annual floral parade in Provence

This year, photographer Francois Ollivier went along to document the tradition which, once again, saw dozens of volunteers, friends and families gather to spend long days and sleepless nights decorating the floats.

Each display involved the painstaking task of braiding of heath into chicken wire and the tying of more than 20,000 carnations with toothpicks. "Embracing the festive and somehow anachronistic nature of the event, I wanted to tell the story of a community’s commitment and present the floats just moments before entering the narrow streets of the village, showcasing them as glorious subjects of enchantment," says Ollivier.

The resulting images form the series, Of Carnations and Heath, and follow on from Francois Ollivier's earlier portraiture work Bright Interval. He adds: "I wanted to spin a modern twist documenting a very traditional event, with fresh eyes and a modern approach."