Cities on earth

Across a selection of thirty cities, including Paris, Shanghai, New York, Tokyo and Rome, revealed in nine atmospheres, the 225 photographs of the Tendance Floue collective brought together for this volume go beyond their brief and, with their individual aesthetic choices as a starting point, coalesce to trace the outlines of a global city, a world city, inviting their readers on a dazzling, mysterious and exciting journey, an immersive stroll, a truly poetic and engaging experience. This composite portrait conveys the energy released by the in-depth exploration of these places. It is a vision that is necessarily fragmentary, subjective and organic, one that neither judges nor offers answers, but instead crafts a meaning. The panorama thus pieced together tells a compelling story about our contemporary cities, all the while uncovering persistent singularities proudly maintained by residents, reminding us that if every city succeeds in remaining unique, it owes this most of all to its people. Tendance Floue navigates its course with finesse in its quest to capture the ever-changing contours of urban public space. Launched at the initiative of Louis Vuitton for its City Guide collection, this long-running partnership is in keeping with the history of public and private photographic commissions, and more generally the history of photography itself.