Cities of Silence

The London Eye at a standstill, against a brilliant blue sky. Venetian gondolas, resting beneath their tarpaulins. The Trevi Fountain in Rome, Schloss Sanssouci in Potsdam, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York-all deserted. In the middle of the day. The widespread Covid-19 lockdown of Spring and Summer 2020 that had millions of people confined to their homes made for remarkable photographs around the globe. Silent Cities brings together lockdown pictures from more than 60 cities-all exceptional snapshots of otherwise densely crowded spaces. Free of people, traffic, and much of the habitual advertising we are used to, the aesthetic qualities of each place become more visible: the symmetry of a square or boulevard, the harmony of a facade, the beauty of an empty beach. A document of an extraordinary and challenging period, Silent Cities also offers us the visual space to imagine a better future.