Tokyo’s magnificent storm drains in the latest Avaunt magazine

by Grace Wang in April 2017

Travelling to the furthest corners of the world, Avaunt magazine brings the wildest human endeavours to its pages. Their hefty volumes are packed with the type of dramatic spreads that will have you sigh at each page. It was founded by Dan Crowe and Matt Willey, the creators of Port magazine, alongside polar explorer/record-breaking long-distance skier Ben Saunders.

For their fifth issue, which launched last week, they find beauty in post-industrial scenes, visit the ‘Rocket People’ of Nevada, and enlist the help of techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci to tackle our increasingly complex digital landscape.

But we were most excited to see the work of photographer Christoffer Rudquist, who captured these futuristic images of Tokyo’s storm drains (below). The impressive feat of human engineering, which is the largest flood drain system in the world, sees a series of concrete silos connected by a 6.3 km channel. Each of the silos drain five rivers, and are around 70 metres tall and 30 metres wide, which is large enough to fit the Statue of Liberty or a space shuttle inside. Have a look at the stunning images below.

If you’re a tinkerer that loves Smith Journal, or an explorer that subscribes to the National Geographic, this issue will provide hours of engrossing reading. Find out more on their site.