Pittsburgh-based digital artist Nickolay Lamm—the very same guy who reimagined architectural landmarks drowning under rising sea levels—has taken again to Photoshop, this time to envision NYC as if it were plucked from Manhattan and placed in Pyongyang, North Korea. Inspired by passages of the book Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, by Barbara Demick, which says the country's cities are extremely dark, and the night sky "a sight to behold" because "no artificial lighting competes with the intensity of the stars," Lamm zapped New York of its electricity, made the skies inkier, and the stars, you know, actually visible. More below.
Times Square becomes a place without corporate advertisements and much fewer vehicles, as "private ownership of cars is largely illegal," writes Demick. "The houses are simple, utilitarian, and monochromatic." What's more: "Couples are not supposed to make any public displays of affection – even holding hands in public is considered risqué."
· What if New York City was in North Korea [MyVoucherCodes.co.uk via Curbed NY]
· Artist Depicts the Drowning Architecture of the Year 2513 [Curbed National]