Thierry Cohen’s Darkened Cities
San Francisco
Those who were near lower Manhattan during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy may have experienced the rare and eerie view of the city’s skyline gone partway dark. Biking through Manhattan at dusk that week, the loss of power made the night feel that much deeper, and the bright sky that much more brilliant. What are the real consequences of keeping our cities lit? Can you imagine your own city turning its lights off at night?
Since 2010, photographer Thierry Cohen has been manipulating his images of starlit desert skies over recognizable cityscapes as part of his “Villes Enteintes” (Darkened Cities) project. The result, both gorgeous and foreboding, depicts what the world’s largest cities would look like without light pollution. The show opens on March 28th at at Danziger Gallery in New York City. More from their site:
Cohen’s method is original and precise and harkens back to the methodologies employed by early 19th century photographers like Gustave Le Grey. He photographs the world’s major cities, seeking out views that resonate for him and noting the precise time, angle, and latitude and longitude of his exposure. As the world rotates around its axis the stars that would have been visible above a particular city move to deserts, plains, and other places free of light pollution. By noting the precise latitude and angle of his cityscape, Cohen is able to track the earth’s rotation to places of atmospheric clarity like the Mojave, the Sahara, and the Atacama desert. There he sets up his camera to record what is lost to modern urban dwellers.
Compositing the two images, Cohen creates a single new image full of resonance and nuance. The work is both political and spiritual questioning not only what we are doing to the planet but drawing unexpected connections between disparate locations. Equally importantly it asks: what do we miss by obscuring the visibility of stars? As the world’s population becomes increasingly urban, there is a disjunction with the natural world which both Cohen and science posit causes both physical and psychological harm. Cities that never sleep are made up of millions of individuals breaking natural cycles of work and repose. Cohen’s photographs attempt to restore our vision, and in beautifully crafted prints and images offer the viewer a possibility – to re-connect us to the infinite energy of the stars.
Danziger Gallery Exhibition
March 28-May 4th, NYC
Rio de Janiero
New York City
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