When a photographer as consistent and reliable as John Davies turns to digital, arts world eyebrows are raised '.

They're inkjet prints,' came the message, "but very high quality ones," as if we could expect anything else from Davies.

His admirers need not worry; the pictures are classic John Davies. For most photographers the debate about digital is long since over; it's a tool that happens to surpass traditional media for many purposes.

Davies' landscape prints use the strengths of inkjet, with their beautiful tones, accurate colours, and slightly high key feel ;while the matt finish, the size (100x80cm) and the low hanging all help the viewer to inspect the meticulous detail they contain.
So now we can look at these pictures more easily than ever, what do we see? Almost a mirror.

Regenerated

All the pictures were made less than a mile and less than a year from where they now hang; a Davies-eye view of the 14 most familiar 'regenerated' spaces of the city centre.

Davies' expertise lies in how little he seems to say about the places he shows; with carefully planned overhead viewpoints, ultra-wide perspective and all-over sharpness he seems to show us everything, and invites us to look where we like and draw our own conclusions.

The city, in the sun at Commonwealth Games time, is clean; the few pieces of litter in the Gay Village just look like part of the decoration.

Optimistic

Building work has all but stopped; little traffic disturbs the citizens as they walk or sit; we are too far away to read their thoughts or troubles. This is Manchester at the moment in history when it was most like the city of our dreams, least like the city of the tabloids.

'Optimistic,' say most of the visitors' comments; 'Manchester on Prozac', says one. But what's this? In front of the Bridgewater Hall, a baseball-hatted youth, less than a fingernail high, languidly vaults the pebble sculpture.

This is home after all.

Metropolis is at Manchester Art Gallery and Urbis until 7 September.

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