May 1, 2012 at 9:44 am

Visions of Cities Without People

by twistedsifter

 

Lucie & Simon are a self-taught artistic duo living and working out of Paris, France. In their post-apocalyptic series entitled Silent World, the artists empty famous places in major metropolises like New York, Paris and Beijing. In each striking capture lies a symbolic character that brings a narrative feeling to the image.

The haunting photographs were created using a neutral density filter that allows for extra-long exposures, which removes moving objects like people and cars. Below you will find a small selection of this fascinating series. To see all 30 photos in large full-screen format, be sure to visit Lucie & Simon’s official site. There is also a 7-minute short film at the bottom of this post which sets the Silent World images to music. It certainly adds to the whole experience and is worth checking out.

Littered below you will also find various excerpts from interviews found on their website. Enjoy!

 

 

1. Times Square, New York City

 

times square 250x320cm 2010 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

2. Place de l’Opera, Paris

 

place de lopera 250x320cm 2009 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU MEET AND DECIDE TO WORK TOGETHER?

We met in 2004 in a photo lab in Paris and became very close friends, sharing about our works and ideas, and ending up a few months later behind a single camera.
 
We work together since 6 years now mostly using photography, but also video and installations. We are just passionate about arts in general, whatever the means. [Source]

 

 

3. Tiananmen Square, Beijing

 

tiananmen square 200x256cm 2010 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

4. Columbus Circle, New York City

 

columbus circle new york 250x320cm 2009 silent world lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

HOW DO YOU COLLABORATE WHEN YOU WORK ON A CERTAIN SERIES?

We discuss a lot about everything. First comes the idea of a series, we talk about the message, how to realise it, etc… Then we scout a lot, do some drawings together to prepare the images, and realise them. It is a long process, where each of us brings something to the other continuously. It is a very interesting process, everything is about the exchange, and we couldn’t work without each other anymore. [Source]

 

 

5. Queensboro Bridge, New York City

 

queensboro bridge 200x256cm 2009 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

6. Courtyard of the Louvre, Paris

 

courtyard of the louvre 200x256cm 2010 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

DO YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOGRAPHERS OR ARTISTS AMDIRE?

Our idol is August Sanders who captured with simplicity and like no one else people and landscapes of his time.
We also admire, Diane Arbus, or Lewis Hine, Philipp LLorca di Corcia, Andreas Gursky and Thomas Struth, Maurice Tabard for his poetic images, Hiroshi Sugimoto, or more recently people like Georges Rousse who work in the frontier between photography and installation. [Source]

 

 

7. Ring Roads, Beijing

 

beijing ring roads 200x256cm 2010 silent world lucie simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

8. Madison Square Garden, New York City

 

madison square 200x256cm 2009 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

WHAT DOES PHOTOGRAPHY MEAN TO YOU?

What we love in Photography is the capability to explore various emotions and universes in a single image. It is frozen, and therefore terribly mysterious. We love mysterious and imaginary things. [Source]

 

 

9. Place de la Concorde, Paris

 

place de la concorde 200x256cm 2008 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

10. Xizhimen Ring Road, Beijing

 

xizhimen ring road 250x320cm 2010 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

11. Sixth Avenue, New York City

 

sixth avenue 200x256cm 2009 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

12. Place Montparnasse, Paris

 

place montparnasse 200x256cm 2008 silent world without people lucie and simon Visions of Cities Without People

 

 

https://vimeo.com/http://www.vimeo.com/30300939

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, the Sifter highly recommends:

 

 

coney island day to night in same photograph stephen wilkes Visions of Cities Without People