The Fairy Lights of Capitalism

There is something deeply attractive, at a number of levels, about the artificial lights of a City. Warm, beckoning, hypnotic and illusory the lights change constantly in empathy with the weather.

The lights of Manhattan. Photomontage 2012

Why they blaze all night when shops and offices are empty is a mystery to me; perhaps its to persuade us that commerce and capital are strong compared to people; this is why the illusory contents of City lights are so persuasive. Nevertheless it is an illusion; switch them off and all that is left is us: the beguiled masses. People are the substance of a City. The fairy lights of capitalism always go bust.

The lights of the city. London 2002