Sleeping Beauties
By Vincent Bitaud
12 Aug 2008
Airports are some of the most secured public areas in the world. Dedicated to transit during the day, they turn into huge empty warehouses at night, where people waiting for their connection or early flights, and unable to afford a hotel room, try to find some sleep.
Train stations are located downtown, and therefore there are always some remnants of nightly activities inside or around them. Being disconnected from the city, airports are on the other hand a world apart where silence and absence of motion preside.
Through this work, I am trying to convey the eerie feeling that was always my silent partner during those many hours I spent wandering in airports. Every single night, a place dedicated to welcome thousands of people in motion turn into its exact opposite, and was never designed to be seen or even used like this. A perfect anomaly.
Light remains the principal character in this project. Clinical and blinding, oppressive for some and soothing for others, it leaves no place for concealment, and projects the visitor into an overwhelming sense of vacuity and absence. Artificial lights drawing the sleeping out of the shadowy enclaves they are used to; energy wastage subjugated to the security obsession : it is here that two fundamental contemporary preoccupations of our time collide head on.
**IMPORTANT NOTE** (not to be published)
Those pictures were taken and thought as diptychs (001A goes next to 001B etc...). I uploaded them as single frames as JPG mag's website doesnt allow zooms for full views.
26 responses
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Martin Brown said (9 Nov 2008):
This is fabulous. Smple yet stunning compositions give the airport that clean feel. I'm a big fan of artificial light myself, especially when it is treated in an appropriate way as you have done in these images. Thank you for sharing!
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Hector Ortiz gave props (17 Dec 2008):
awesome ...
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Muhammad IQbal said (22 Dec 2008):
great...wonderfull...
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Christopher Long gave props (23 Dec 2008):
Fantastic series!
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nema' etebar said (16 Jan 2009):
love it..
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Tosin Pedro (Deleted) gave props (17 Jan 2009):
Very neat shots!
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Nicholas gave props (21 Jan 2009):
I'd really like to know how you did this!
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Alexandru Iedu gave props (7 Feb 2009):
EXCELLENT SERIES !!! FINE WORK
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David Kreisman gave props (18 Feb 2009):
I just love how you've used the wide open spaces of an airport lounge and the color (or lack there of). Curious what technique(s) you used to get that look.
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visithra manikam said (5 Mar 2009):
stunning
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Memrie King (Deleted) gave props (13 Mar 2009):
Right on, and ditto to the artist statement.
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Brian Haferkamp added a link (19 Apr 2009):
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patrick john o'doherty said (23 Apr 2009):
nice words Vincent
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Maayan Ziv (Deleted) said (16 May 2009):
clean cut, elegant, simple, and beautiful.
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Daniel Horacio Agostini said (7 Jun 2009):
amazing work....extraordinary representation...great!
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Karin Crona (Deleted) said (29 Jul 2009):
Beautiful work!
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Bob Loblaw gave props (18 Sep 2009):
I like the insight, you're spot on about the anomoly
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Jeffrey Chung (Deleted) said (1 Oct 2009):
I love this!
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A. Selman Nur gave props (3 Oct 2009):
it looks much better on the papers of magazine imho. very beautiful idea and well-written story with awesomely perfect photos. congratulations.
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Amy Masson said (14 Oct 2009):
most impressive
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Olga O gave props (21 Jan 2010):
Just a beautiful, thoughtful project. Thank you for sharing!
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Kelsey C said (26 Feb 2010):
i absolutely love this. wonderful story.
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be gave props (24 Mar 2010):
i hate flying but love airports, you have capture why i love them
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Shawna Collins gave props (7 Apr 2010):
Beautiful
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michael murphy (Deleted) said (25 Apr 2010):
Absolutely wonderful. Love the lighting. Amazing.
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Melissa Robinson gave props (11 Mar 2011):
i love this. its so dreamy.
