Photographing A World Without People

Perhaps I read too many sci-fi comics when I was a kid, but a recurring fantasy of mine was to be a lone survivor in some sort of post-apocalyptic world, wandering around places which would usually be brimming with people but now completely empty.

As an adult I might now fantasise about wandering around the same deserted world, but being able to photograph it too. Well, there is a photographic project which allows and encourages photographers to do just that. Not just deserted spaces, however – judging by some of the images submitted to the project’s photostream from participants around the world, 4am looks something like rush hour in Wolverhampton.

You’ll be glad to hear that the rest of the population doesn’t have to be killed off by a bomb or mysterious futuristic virus in order to do this. They are in fact tucked safely up in their beds – because this project is all about photographic the world at 4am.

Before you stop reading, wondering what on earth would possess anyone to go out at 4am on a cold night to take pictures, imagine this – you could, for instance, walk around public buildings, including the bits that the public never usually get to see, and record it photographically as you go. Now wouldn’t that be setting your alarm for?

There’s another scheduled global event coming up on 24th April (at 4am of course) but for those in the Birmingham area, 4am Project organiser Karen Strunks has organised a photographic tour of the city’s “distinctive” brutalist Central Library which even includes access to some bits of the building normally off-limits to the public. The building is ear-marked for demolition so this might be your last chance to photograph this controversial Brum landmark.

Portuguese project participants

 

Here’s the blog of the 4am Project…　http://4amproject.org/

 And details of the Birmingham tour…  http://4amproject.org/birmingham-press-release/

However, you mightn’t want to tell everyone. If this project gets too popular, 4am will be like rush hour and everywhere will be just as busy as it is during the day.

Photographer unknown

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