Night Passers-by Illuminated by an Advertising Lightbox

Night Passers-by Illuminated by an Advertising Lightbox was photographed at a bus stop beneath the residential community where I lived. When the advertising panel beside the stop was left empty, its uncovered white light shone directly onto the street, resembling a large photographic lightbox installed in public space.

At night, people waiting for buses or passing through the area would briefly enter this field of light. Their faces, clothing, and gestures became visible while the surrounding street receded into darkness. An ordinary bus stop was temporarily transformed into a portrait space, in which each passer-by became the subject of an image without preparation.

Using only the light produced by the advertising box, I photographed from a relatively fixed position. No background or additional lighting was arranged, and the subjects were given no instructions. Their appearance and disappearance were determined entirely by the rhythm of the street. Some waited, some looked at their phones, some hurried past, while others paused for a moment. Although unrelated to one another, they became part of the same urban portrait series by entering the same area of light.

The lightbox was originally designed to attract attention and display commercial images. In the absence of advertising, it illuminated ordinary people who would rarely occupy such a display. Through this accidental photographic apparatus, the work records individuals briefly emerging from the urban night and considers how commercial light can acquire another public function when its intended content disappears.