Back in November, Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG shared the work of photographer Richard Mosse, whose use of discontinued infrared film picked up the invisible spectrum of infrared light that coated the lush landscapes of the Congo in vivid shades of crimson. In these photos, rolling hills and exotic trees appear in shocking hot pink, like otherworldly growth amidst conventionally colored dirt foundations. The blood-like hues of the Infra series trigger visceral reactions upon viewing, transforming the Congo into a site of corporal topographies and effectively rewriting the history of a place that has long compelled the Western imagination.

When Hong Kong-based designer Yiu Yu Hoi discovered how playing with infrared light could tell wholly different stories of place, he began experimenting with the technique in his own city. The result was a portrait of Hong Kong that transforms the dense, fast-paced city into an ethereal cotton-candied dream. More after the jump.

Unlike with Mosse’s photographic method, Yiu’s infrared technique discolored the landscape with blue trees instead of red (or the conventional green). As he told MyModernMet, Yiu achieved the illusion of glowing pink and sepia-toned foliage by swapping blue and red channels in Photoshop. In doing so, his photographs plant what appear to be radiant clouds amidst a densely built city, exposing the layered images of the distant past and the distant future characteristic of Hong Kong.

[All images via MyModernMet]

by Kelly Chan

posted in Uncategorized

tagged cities, city, hong kong, Infrared, photograph, photography, Richard Mosse, Yiu Yu Hoi

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