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Augmented Cities shows the uneasy relationship between urban and nature

Augmented Cities is a project by London-based advertising photographer Tim Robberts which aims to explore the uneasy relationship between the urban and natural world, and to see whether the two elements actually compliment one another.

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Aerial view of a dense Manhattan neighbourhood with tall brick and glass buildings interspersed with abundant green trees and vegetation growing throughout the streetscape

He explains: "We see dystopian near-future movies where the world’s cities have been aggressively overgrown by nature. And then we see projects like The High Line in New York where the natural world is carefully curated within an urban framework. I wanted the images to sit somewhere between these two extremes.

"The idea had been at the back of my mind for a year or so, and on a recent trip to New York I went out looking for shots that would work for the project. I have a large folder of photos from the last few years that I keep as potential ingredients for projects or composites. I sifted though this, pulling out the images that felt right, and then experimented with combining different images in different ways. I discarded the ones that weren’t quite working, and then chiselled away at the rest to get the final shots."

The resulting photographs are clever combinations of both our urban and natural environments, offering a unique perspective on our modern world. Discover more at www.timrobberts.com.

Via direct submission

London's skyline of modern skyscrapers and office buildings emerging above a thick layer of white clouds
Aerial view of a dense urban street lined with tall buildings surrounded by lush green trees and vegetation covering the hillside neighbourhood
London's City skyline with modern skyscrapers surrounded by dense green woodland and vegetation in a composite image exploring urban and natural environments
New York City skyline with One World Trade Center rising behind a dense forest of tall pine trees
Double exposure composite of gnarled tree branches overlaid with Manhattan skyline and waterfront under hazy sky
New York City skyline with skyscrapers emerging above a thick layer of clouds, blending urban and natural elements
Aerial view of Manhattan's dense urban skyline with skyscrapers interspersed among abundant green trees and vegetation, blending city and nature together
New York City skyline with Empire State Building and surrounding skyscrapers bathed in golden afternoon light under a partly cloudy sky
Manhattan skyline at sunset with the Empire State Building illuminated among surrounding skyscrapers and city lights
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