Source: Daniele Cametti Aspri
Dark Cities series photographer Daniele Cametti Aspri describes his most recent project–capturing cities at night–this way:
“When we go into a dark place from a bright one we live a kind of disorientation, our eyes struggle for the first minutes to get used to the dark.
With every passing minute, slowly, thanks to the residual light that filters under a door, or maybe from a street lamp far away, reality begins to take a different shape. The dim light rests on the surrounding structures by drawing a game of achromatic surfaces, painting more or less intense shades of dark gray that almost reach the black.”
Source: Daniele Cametti Aspri
The Rome-born photographer kicked off his project in Paris, with the goal of capturing the “silence and loneliness of a man immersed far away in the dark” through a photo. Aspri cites his son’s birth as the beginning of his own interest in the medium, and one that has since become a coping mechanism following a divorce that has limited Aspri’s ability to regularly see his child.
Said Aspri, “He is my life, and photography was the only way to survive the loneliness. It was the only way I had to stay with him. Photography saved my life. Every picture I take, it’s a memory of my heart. My heart is my best camera.”
Source: Daniele Cametti Aspri
This solemn relationship between artist and machine can be felt in Aspri’s choice of subject and the photo’s somber composition. The city has fallen asleep, human movement has ceased and we are left only with familiar facades made foreign thanks to the cloak of darkness. Said Aspri, “Light and darkness are the two opposite sides of my narrative project on urban landscapes. Opposite and complementary, indispensable to each other as black to white, night to day.”
Source: Daniele Cametti Aspri
Though urban landmarks are a major feature of the Dark Cities project, they are not the only subjects involved. From lesser known buildings to open park areas, city streets, and even individual trees, as long as the dark of night presents the subject in a way that captures the artist’s eye, it is fair game.
Source: Daniele Cametti Aspri
Roman art studio The Mill displayed Dark Cities: Paris this past March, adding to the series’ drama by illuminating it via candlelight. Event organizer Roberta Fuorvia explained this perhaps counterintuitive decision (after all, art exhibits usually go best when the art can be easily seen) as follows:
“The viewers had to be an integral part of Daniele’s work themselves…the idea of approaching them and moving around in the space creates a personal and emotional relationship with the images. This attention and awareness awaken and stimulate interest in the artist’s work. Besides, this installation perfectly showcases the images that make up ‘Dark Cities.’ Is it a gamble? Perhaps. Is it an evocative exhibit? Definitely.”
Source: Daniele Cametti Aspri
Source: Daniele Cametti Aspri
Source: Daniele Cametti Aspri
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