Thursday, May 12, 2005

edison's legacy


In this satellite photo, the Korean peninsula is the blob in the center to the left of the brilliantly illuminated Japanese islands on the right. Note the stark contrast between the bright lower half of the south next to the eerily dark upper half that is North Korea. It's a powerful reminder of how capitalism changes the visual landscape simply through the production and consumption of electricity. I wonder though if somehow North Koreans aren't better off in a darkened world where you are not constantly assaulted by the senseless delirium of urban life.

In fact, the later it gets the brighter it becomes. It feels on par with the central strip in Vegas except that Seoul is like this everywhere. On a side note, after I took this picture I turned around to find a group of men huddled directly behind me trying to figure out what the hell I was photographing. They seemed convinced that they were missing out on something very important or extraordinary about this scene. Beauty being in the eyes of the beholder. Maybe they figured me for a North Korean spy. The black dog barks at night.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Or maybe, night-time isn't so dark, down here on earth - we've just been trained to think so by the contrast between night and electric day.

babibi said...

No, you're right. The brightness of a moonlit night can be overwhelming. But take away the moon and you might as well be blind. You think people in North Korea are more active at night when the moon is out? Gathering together to sing about their dear departed leader?