marilyn mugot’s neon landscapes reveal secret shades of the city at night

completed over two years during a journey across the USA and china, ‘night project’ by marilyn mugot is a collection of stunning nocturnal landscapes that capture the bristling vibrancy of nocturnal life. realized in a cinematic vision of shadow and neon light, the photographs document urban and natural landscapes illuminated from a number of quietly dramatic perspectives. 

(above) ‘conquest of paradise’, chongqing 
(main) ‘radiance’, chongqing 
all images courtesy of marilyn mugot

‘my passion for cinema is an integral part of this photographic work and has been a deep passion since my childhood’, explains marilyn mugot. ‘I perceive my photographic work through a director’s eyes, however the difference in my vision is that the whole world is a stage. it’s an intense sensation of ‘limitlessness’. I like to recreate a fantastic universe of dreams and travels’. 

‘visions of blue’, chongqing

this sense of narrative defines mugot’s work, whose landscapes and built compositions often seem like they’d be more at home in a cyberpunk future like blade runner or tron than modern day hong kong. mugot’s eye identifies a magical realism that most others would glance over, lending an air of mystery and brilliance to otherwise mundane spaces. although focusing on the darker hours of the day, ‘night project’ is as much as demonstration of light as it is of shadow, with misty neon and hazily illuminated windows hinting at the existence of secret worlds hidden within our own. 

‘tale of the future’, chongqing 

‘it was a real quest to find the perfect moment when the lighting was exactly as I imagined’, continues mugot. ‘night landscapes exacerbate a specific contemplative feeling which has encouraged me to recreate a new, obscure and sparkling world full of secrets and mysteries’. 

for more of mugot’s work, check out her instagram. 

‘nightlight’, chongqing

‘between two worlds’, chongqing

‘building detail’, hong kong

‘celestial kingdom’, chongqing

‘folklore dream,’ chongqing

‘wavy horizon’, chongqing

‘backstairs,’ hong kong