THE BRIGHTEST OF US

SOMETIMES WHILE GAZING AT THE NIGHT'S SKY,

I IMAGINE STARS LOOKING DOWN MAKING WISHES ON THE BRIGHTEST OF US

JUST AS WE DO THEM

FRENCH ARTIST THIERRY COHEN HAS 
IMMORTALISED THE UNLIT NIGHTSCAPES OF SOME
OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST CITIES IN HIS PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES 
VILLES ETEINTES AKA DARKENED CITIES

“The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time,
into deeper and deeper shades of night.”  

 HARUKI MURAKAMI - Dance Dance Dance

WHILE A PHOTO OF SHANGHAI, HONG KONG OR NEW YORK
WITH NOT A SINGLE LIGHT SHINING WOULD BE INCREDIBLE
ALAS COHEN'S WORKS ARE PHOTOSHOPPED.
BUT.... AND HERE LIES HIS CONSIDERABLE THOUGHT

IN EACH WORK HE HAS PHOTOGRAPHED BOTH THE NAMED CITY,
AND A SECOND LOCATION OF THE SAME LATITUDE,
BUT WHERE THE CITY LIGHTS DO NOT SHINE, AND THE BLANKET OF STARS
CAN BE SEEN BRIGHTLY

THE PHOTO OF PARIS INCLUDES NOT ONLY PARIS,
BUT THE NIGHT SKY OF THE WESTERN SAHARA DESERT.

THE GROWING URBAN LIGHT POLLUTION MEANS THAT EACH NIGHT,
MANY STARS AND POINTS OF OUR WIDER GALAXY AND UNIVERSE
GO UNSEEN, AS WE FLOOD THE ATMOSPHERE WITH NEON AND LED.

SO WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO BE FAR FROM CITY LIGHTS,
THERE IS SOMETHING QUITE OVERWHELMING ABOUT A FULL SKY

AS IF A HEAVIER WINTER BLANKET HAS BEEN PULLED OVER THE GLOBE

“Even today the most jaded city dweller can be unexpectedly moved upon encountering a clear night sky studded with thousands of twinkling stars. When it happens to me after all these years it still takes my breath away.”

CARL SAGAN - Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space.

HONG KONG

HONG KONG

NEW YORK

PARIS

RIO DE JANEIRO

SAN FRANCISCO

SHANGHAI

SHANGHAI

TOKYO

xx