Cody Ellingham

Cody El ling ham is an architectural photographer and art director who grew up in Hawkes Bay, but now spends his days capturing the beauty of Toyko’s otherworldly buildings. His new exhibition, Future Cities, uses sophisticated photography and editing techniques to explore what a city of the future could look like. Here, he shares his take on the intersection between technology, architecture and art. How would you describe your photography style? If I was to describe my photographs, I would say they show quiet moments, late at night or in a weary twilight. They’re places that exist in reality, but I show them with only the slightest hint of humanity, giving them an otherworldly feel. /// around the country roads and mountains and rivers of the North Island kind of way, mountains of concrete and steel, rivers of light – symbols from some language that I do not fully understand. /// How did you wind up in Tokyo? I was 20 years old and I felt stuck in my hometown. I did not have any idea of what path I should take to get there. I was of opportunity, though. One night while vacuuming an old building on

Before I did that though, I knew I had work to do: I got myself down to Vic University in Wellington a scholarship that would take me to Tokyo. The rest is history. /// What is it about this There is so many layers of history and culture here. The city itself is a sprawl that is almost impossible to imagine, stretching beyond the old wooden houses overgrown with moss and 10 minutes later, you are surrounded by skyscrapers and neon lights. /// Can you explain the idea will it be exploring? been mostly about exploring the past in a very friends in Tokyo with the bare theme of 'What would the city of the future look like?' and we never truly predict the future because we would but we wondered 'What if we could convey the feeling of the future?' Over a few weeks and long weekends, we developed technology for scanning the city as it is with special 360 degree cameras, and bringing it into the computer where we can experience. /// What’s the most challenging part of being in the architectural photography industry is constantly changing. Old paradigms die hard in this world, so you got to keep on your /// What’s been your favourite project you’ve worked on so far? I had the chance to shoot the Architecture of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics Tange. /// What are you most excited about for the future? Kong, Taiwan to Tokyo, and all over for my work and I so next thing is to make a full circle and where I am hoping to go back to my roots in the mountains for a few months.