Dioramas by Satoshi Araki

Japanese artist Satoshi Araki builds streets small enough to hold in a case, then ages them. Seen from above, the miniature is a narrow lane: graffiti-covered wall, crosswalk, litter, slack overhead cables, and a black armoured vehicle parked in the middle.

The model sits in a dark box lettered GOTHAM CITY and is shot through the case, camera on a tripod, lit windows and drifting steam doing the atmosphere. Brick, fire escape, chipped paint, nothing looks new.

Araki is interested in the passage of time. His urban scenes — damaged buildings, cars, robots, sci-fi vehicles — are built to look used rather than finished.