Yujiapu Dream, Yujiapu Towers (2017)
Yujiapu is an ambitious large-scale construction project in Tianjin, China. The district draws inspiration from Manhattan with regards to city planning, architecture and the iconic skyline. Although the district was scheduled for completion in 2014, most of the skyscrapers are still unfinished. The past years have seen a slowdown of construction activity, some of the sites have become abandoned. When the night falls, the city gets dark and deserted. It is only street lights and LED decoration that illuminate the buildings and the smog that is filling the sky. The colourful haze confuses the white balance algorithms of the camera, (light)pollution is recorded as colour cast. The windows are dark, the buildings seem to be “hibernated”, bearing a resemblance to maquettes. Standing still in a state between idea and functionality the buildings appears to be idiosyncratic products of the cult of growth and development.
