This article was taken from the May 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Part London, part Seoul and part New York, yet strangely homogeneous, Young Sam Kim’s imaginary cityscapes are a composite of hundreds of photographs taken around the world. "In ancient times, each city was unique in accordance with its own culture and natural environment," says the New York-based artist. "But in my eyes, major cities are becoming almost identical. Old cities are reformed or new cities built to look like New York. It’s tragic that they consider it 'modernisation'."
To create the pieces, 36-year-old Kim prints hundreds of photos and tries out a variety of arrangements, then draws a plan combining the key elements, mixing in new buildings of his own design. He believes that his observation of this visual repetitiveness is enhanced by an auditory impairment, present from birth. "The city is noisy, so there are a lot of distractions," he explains. "However, because I don't hear the sound, I can focus on things better than others."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
