« Everything there seemed perfect and calm », says Alessandro Zanoni. The Italian « part-time photographer » as he says and visual designer went on a five weeks trip in Japan last summer. And started this unique series called « Rising in the Dark » that portrays the urban landscapes of Japanese cities. From Tokyo to Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka, the artist offers here a singular view on these « empty streets with clean little cars, small houses, low buildings, precise orders of parking lots and colored neon lights. Even if the pictures are taken from four different cities, the endless suburbs look similar and unrecognizable among them. At night, the vast suburbs turns into large and silent dormitory neighborhoods ».

« I crossed these places by bike, with a camera and a tripod, until dawn. In a cinematic experience, I wandered in the wee small hours, while the rising sun approached fast, often before 4 am. The light at that moment becomes magical, amplifying the sense of daydreaming and I tried to catch the suspension of a precious time that gives itself to a few. I want to come back to Japan soon to continue this work in different cities ».

Found more about his work on his Instagram page : @alezano