New Tapei: construction in the distance, a mid-rise building illuminated with color bands, the music an orchestral drone with a sublimated pulse. Hong Kong: viewed from above, a forest of lit skyscrapers, the music lending the drama of a thriller. Tokyo: a dark street corner, much of the light coming from a set of vending machines, the music introducing a glitchy twitch.
Those are three of the five cities that set the scene for Wander the Night, a collaborative online project from photographer Cody Ellingham, who has a way with images that seem intended to benefit from the projection of screens, and musician SJF (Simon James French), who has a way with held tones and underlying drama.
The website contains five pages, each pairing one of Ellingham’s striking photos along with a roughly 10-minute recording by SJF. The images are still, but a gentle current pushes clouds across the screen, from left to right. (Pictured up top is Bangkok.) For added emotional undercurrent, there’s an option to add some rain. It’s a beautiful collection, and a moody accompaniment if you have a spare screen at your disposal.
The score is also available for streaming and purchase:
Visit at wanderthenight.com, and don’t expect to leave anytime soon. The photos are available as prints and in book form: store.derive.tokyo.
One Comment
Thanks for this discovery Marc; as with many things Disquiet, I am unlikely to have found it on my own, and glad that you have introduced me to this work.