The (new) lights of Vercelli

I have always loved photographing in the city at night. The night brings urban environments closer to what for me means spending time in nature: time slows down, people thin out, chaos subsides. At night it is possible to photograph the city going unnoticed, hiding in the shadows without disturbing and without being disturbed.

The artificial light in the city has freed man from the fear of hanging out at night. First the gas lamps in the early nineteenth century, then the arrival of electricity and Edison's incandescent light bulb, neon. The cities at night were tinged with all shades of orange and the night became so bright that it obscured the stars.

Ten years ago in Europe 15% of all energy consumption was for public lighting. There was, and still is, the need to consume and spend less, it was necessary to rely on more efficient light sources: these were the years of conversion to LED lighting.

And so it also happened in my city, in Vercelli.

The quality of the light produced by LEDs is incredibly different from that of old incandescent lamps, colder, more sunny and sharp, more concentrated and focused.

With the LEDs it seems that it is day, but with the darkness around.

Night after night, entire streets of Vercelli are changing color and atmosphere, losing the widespread orange and acquiring a sharp blue.

And so the project found me, as it always happens:
to tell about this transition between the old and new lights of my city.