Annals of Technology

Slide Show: The World’s Brightest Cities

  • “Metropolis 35° 10′ N 136° 50′ E”
  • “Metropolis 42° 22′ N 71° 2′ W”
  • “Metropolis 48° 52′ N 2° 19′ E”
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“Metropolis 35° 10′ N 136° 50′ E” (Nagoya)

In “Lux,” the San Francisco–based photographer Christina Seely presents large-scale photographs of the world’s most brightly illuminated regions on NASA’s map of earth at night. The project, which includes images from forty-five cities from Western Europe to Japan, examines the disconnect between the beauty of artificial light and the environmental impact of such energy consumption.

Select photographs from “Lux” are included in “Reality Check,” an exhibition currently at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design through December 7th. The accompanying monograph is available here.

All photographs courtesy of Christina Seely.