shashasha

Irish-born Berlin-based photographer Eanna de Freine’s “The Death & Life of Great Asian Cities vol I” is the first in a trilogy of books examining the urban landscapes of Asian cities. Its title alluding to Jane Jacob’s seminal book on urban planning (“The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, 1961), de Freine’s photographs – taken in Osaka, Kobe, Taipei, Keelung, Kaoshiung, Busan, Hong Kong, Da Nang, Jakarta, Bangkok, Shanghai & Luang Prabang – form a comprehensive overview of the habitats humans build and have built for themselves. With its imagery ranging from dense, cluttered, almost overwhelming scenes to pale concrete arrangements, de Freine managed to find a brilliant balance between critique and fascination.