Heiko Hellwig Silicon Cities Gallery
Heiko Hellwig01Heiko Hellwig constructs his compositions by layering together images of printed circuit boards.
Heiko Hellwig02To secure the circuit boards he used for his cityscapes, Hellwig purchased old computers from eBay and used friends' cast-off hardware.
Heiko Hellwig03Hellwig photographed the parts of some 50 computers.
Heiko Hellwig04Hellwig took apart old computers to reveal the colorful circuitry inside.
Heiko Hellwig05He photographed the most unique pieces in his studio in Stuttgart, Germany while standing on a ladder.
Heiko Hellwig06The images were taken with a Nikon D850 and 80mm lens.
Heiko Hellwig07Hellwig shot the series over two weeks in 2017.
Heiko Hellwig08After photographing the circuit boards, he got to work stitching and layering them together in Photoshop to create unique compositions.
Heiko Hellwig09The bright colors come from the red and green filters Hellwig placed over his studio lights, as well as from Photoshop.
Heiko Hellwig10Hellwig spent up to five hours on each composition in Photoshop.
Heiko Hellwig11Hellwig intends the vibrant colors to suggest the bright future the tech industry promises.
Heiko Hellwig12The series is named *Silicon Cities*, invoking the way the circuit boards recall aerial views of urban areas.
Heiko Hellwig13Electrical pathways weave through the composition like streets.
Heiko Hellwig14Transistors, capacitors, and diodes become buildings and skyscrapers.
A New Neurotech Startup Launches to Rival Sam Altman’s Merge Labs
Bridge Neurotech is planning to build a wearable brain-computer interface that uses ultrasound.
Emily Mullin
Cat-Like Whiskers Help Tiny Drones Fly in the Dark
Researchers took lessons from nocturnal animals to help rescue drones overcome a key challenge: flying in the dark.
Ritsuko Kawai
The Science Behind the Nobel-Winning Technology That Controls Neurons With Light
Optogenetics revolutionized neuroscience, but its origins come from an entirely brainless organism—an alga.
Fernanda González
OpenAI Invests in Startup That Uses Brain Implants to Detect Cancer
It’s the latest in a growing wave of bets that AI companies are making on brain data.
Emily Mullin
The Hottest New Side Hustle Is Stripping Copper Wire and Posting About It
Copper prices are at record highs, but for TikTok creators, the real money may be in teaching others how to strip wire—and selling them the tools to do it.
Caroline Haskins
Mark Zuckerberg Agrees to Stay in California Despite Billionaires’ Tax Ballot Measure
Meta’s board feared that its CEO’s departure could disrupt the company’s AI ambitions. A new stock agreement gives him financial incentives to stay put.
Paresh Dave
Digger Is a Box Office Flop. It Might Be the Most Relevant Film of the Year
Sold by its trailer as a gag reel, Tom Cruise’s strangest movie may be the most unsettling portrait of our tech and climate moment yet.
Carla Sertin
This Leaf Blower Can Tackle Fall Cleanup and Halloween Shenanigans
Our top Ego pick is discounted, and our resident leaf blower expert demonstrates how to make a TP cannon.
Kat Merck
A Startup Has a Plan to Make Water From Air Using Data Centers’ Waste Heat
Atoco’s new machines use specialized materials that can harvest water from some of the driest air on Earth without using electricity.
Brian Kahn
Liquid Glass Finally Makes Sense on the iPhone Duo
Liquid Glass was a divisive redesign. But with a radically different iPhone, the pieces are finally falling into place.
Craig Grannell
WIRED Ghost Stories
Five hauntings from the other side of technology.
Tristan Harris’ Tech Nonprofit Is Laying Off Most Staff and Going ‘Founder-Led’
The Center for Humane Technology helped spark a movement against excessive screen time, but internal tensions over its direction and strategy have simmered for years, sources tell WIRED.
Paresh Dave