Jan Enkelmann is a local photographer who went on bicycle trips around London during the early part of the coronavirus lockdown. He chose good weather days to get a consistent ambiance and proceeded to document a city at dusk.
The result is a series of images of the city as it is never seen – almost completely without a human presence. Empty streets, deserted sights and famous landmarks appear as timeless monuments and spaces detached from their daily hustle and bustle. In Enkelmann’s words “these photos are less about the lack of human presence and rather about the stillness of a city being allowed a breather, to reveal a beauty that often goes unnoticed”.
Revisiting familiar places in totally unfamiliar circumstances makes for a fascinating journey. They are in turn eerie, stark, calm and captivating. There is something other-worldly about an empty city – almost desolate despite the bright lights – which Jan Enkelmann has captured perfectly.
Jan is publishing a book of his 84 photos of lockdown London. You can find out more about the project and the book, including ways to support them, here
