What do we miss by obscuring the visibility of stars?

In his latest project Darkened Cities, French artist Thierry Cohen attempts to find an answer to the thought-provoking question. For the past three years the pioneering photographer has been traveling the world to photograph its greatest cities. He then manipulates the images, giving a chilling visual of what these grand skylines would look like without any power.

In order to capture the beautiful expanse of night sky seen in his work, Cohen traveled to the Mojave and Sahara deserts, where air pollution is far less prevalent. In doing so he was still able to photograph the same star systems that would be seen over each specific skyline if it weren’t for the lights from the buildings below.

His work is nothing short of extraordinary and sets out to remind us of the beauty that is above us, but often lost in the chaos of big city living. Danziger Gallery in New York City, who will be displaying his work in March, adds to the conversation by saying: