'Cities that never sleep are made up of millions of individuals breaking natural cycles of work and repose. My photographs attempt to restore our vision, to re-connect us to the infinite energy of the stars.'
—Thierry Cohen
‘You can show the world what you want to show,’ says French artist Thierry Cohen about his ongoing series Darkened Cities, which presents composite images of dark urban landscapes with starry skies. To create the work offered here, Cohen photographed New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge by day, using filters and under-exposure to simulate a night-time view devoid of artificial light, then travelled to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, which is located on the same latitude, to capture the vibrant constellations. ‘By combining two realities, I am making a third that you cannot see … but it exists! I am showing you the missing stars,’ explains Cohen. ‘I am not showing you post-apocalyptic cities, merely cities without electricity. I am bringing back the silence.’ The Paris-based artist was shortlisted for the 2015 Académie des Beaux-Arts Photography Award and has exhibited Darkened Cities in many cities worldwide, including New York, Dubai, Moscow and Genoa.