Alan Silverman

Micro cityscapes (Microscapes) are intended to be sculptural decoration. The play of light and shadow over their endlessly convoluted surfaces is what initially grabs attention and makes them visually addictive.

Their “functional” value as accurate, scale representations of cities is secondary. Moreover, the way in which they’re produced is biased heavily in favor of visual effect versus perfect accuracy.

Specifically, I shoot my own aerial photos, use photogrammetry software to construct a 3D computer model from those photos, then manually refine that computer model into a cleaned up, edited incarnation that can be 3D-printed and will look good in physical form.

This last, manual editing step is important because it allows me to make editorial decisions about what to include, what to exclude (trees and vehicles, for example) and what topographic or architectural features to exaggerate or de-emphasize in order to achieve the final “look” I want.

The end result is a one-of-a-kind interpretation of raw data that remains mostly true to reality while taking certain, carefully considered liberties for the sake of visual impact.

Whether these intentional deviations from perfectly faithful representation are noticeable or not depe...

Master of Architecture, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation

BS in Architectural Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign