Audrey Cerdan, a photographer appropriately based in Paris, France, was given the task by her studio, Rue89, to capture the streets and locations of past photos in order to compare and contrast them. Working with images commissioned in the early 20th century, which were taken under the direction of Albert Kahn, Audrey Cerdan set off to those same location in the modern day City of Lights.
Working alongside Pascal Riché, Audrey Cerdan used Google Street View to search for the areas. From Porte Saint-Denis to Passage du Caire and Port d'Austerlitz, Audrey Cerdan managed to set-up nearly identical shots. Once those were achieved, she went back to her computer in order to photoshop splitscreen versions of the images. These show how much Paris has changed over almost a hundred odd years.
What's Driving This Trend
- Generational-split-screen Photography
- Exploring the evolution of cities through generational split-screen photography creates opportunities for nostalgia-driven marketing campaigns and urban development initiatives.
- Comparative Urban Transformation
- Using historical photographs to compare and contrast urban landscapes over time provides opportunities for urban planning, architectural preservation, and heritage tourism.
- Digital Reconstruction of the Past
- Leveraging digital tools like Google Street View and Photoshop to recreate historical scenes opens possibilities for immersive virtual reality experiences and interactive educational platforms.
Who This Affects Most
- Photography
- The photography industry can benefit from offering generational-split-screen photography services and collaborative projects with historical archives and urban design firms.
- Tourism
- The tourism industry can capitalize on comparative urban transformation by developing heritage tours, museum exhibits, and location-based augmented reality experiences.
- Technology
- The technology industry can support the digital reconstruction of the past by developing advanced image recognition AI, virtual reality hardware and software, and digital preservation platforms.
