(All images by Lucie & Simon, reproduced with permission)
Paris, New York, Beijing: have you ever wondered what some of the world’s most bustling cities would look like almost completely devoid of people? Remember that scene at the beginning of Vanilla Sky where Tom Cruise drove into a deserted Times Square before awaking from a nightmare dream?
In Silent World, Paris-based artists Lucie & Simon have removed all but a few people from global landmarks like Tiananmen Square, Place de la Concorde, Wall Street and Xizhimen Park. The result – like the lone wanderer in Christophe Dessaigne’s post-apocalyptic illustrations - is wonderfully eerie.
The idea of a post-apocalyptic world might conjure images of shattered cities where survivors pick through the fallen vestiges of mankind while nature and wild animals reclaim crumbling urban spaces. But the quiet calm of Lucie & Simon‘s illustrations, coupled with the presence of isolated individuals deep in thought, creates the haunting illusion of a lonely world.
Keep reading – explore 5 Post-Apocalyptic Visions and Foreboding Harbingers of the End of the World.
