Shadow of a Dot

Shadow of a Dot explores photographic moments found in live webcams and IP cameras. Through light, framing, and enlarged pixels, the project uncovers unintended poetic images and quiet connections across distant places and shared time.

Shadow of a Dot

 During the pandemic, a chance curiosity led me to explore scenes from across the globe. What I encountered were the gazes of countless cameras, watching without revealing their purpose.

 A closer look reveals that these gazes are woven into our daily lives. From the moment we leave our homes, on every street corner, and as we step into elevators or shops, we live under the fixed gaze of cameras. Some of these gazes drift through vast digital networks. Where do they ultimately lead?

 'Shadow of a Dot' observes and collects scenes from live webcams and IP camera footage that exist like ghosts drifting through networks. Sometimes I track their physical locations; other times, I connect intersecting gazes and relationships. This project is not a mere critique of surveillance, but an exploration of new possibilities and questions that emerge amid countless gazes.

 I sought out the shadows remaining within enlarged pixels. At times, these blurred scenes offered a sense of connection and comfort; at others, they stirred curiosity and left lingering questions. Unintended moments and gazes can be unexpectedly beautiful, sometimes even creating new universes. I wanted to observe these stories-where reality and the virtual intertwine-posing questions that open new possibilities for relationships.

 I reflect on the sensation of touching moments across different time zones within the same flow of time. In the depth of a moonlit dawn, I could, at will, find a place where the sun was rising, or simultaneously witness a sunset elsewhere. I wanted to focus on small, trivial things that no one would remember unless they were recorded, and to search for things that exist simultaneously in this world.

A gaze watching us is always there. It has always existed, yet its presence is often forgotten. I explored these overlooked existences, not knowing whom they might eventually reach. What matters is that we are all, and have always been, connected.

© JinYoung Lee - Cat Family - One day, by chance, I encountered a family of cats.
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Cat Family - One day, by chance, I encountered a family of cats.

© JinYoung Lee - Eyes in the Grass -I came across a scene where two eyes shimmered in the grass. Who might this small friend be?
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Eyes in the Grass -I came across a scene where two eyes shimmered in the grass. Who might this small friend be?

© JinYoung Lee - collected portrait photographs of dogs staying at a pet hotel.
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collected portrait photographs of dogs staying at a pet hotel.

© JinYoung Lee - Dog hotel - moment of the Dog hotel
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Dog hotel - moment of the Dog hotel

© JinYoung Lee - Spider - I encountered a spider that had confidently built its home directly in front of the camera.
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Spider - I encountered a spider that had confidently built its home directly in front of the camera.

© JinYoung Lee - Spider Web - The spider disappeared, leaving only the trace of its web behind. The camera automatically focused on the web.
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Spider Web - The spider disappeared, leaving only the trace of its web behind. The camera automatically focused on the web.

© JinYoung Lee - Pigeon - Pigeons lingered briefly within a scene, within a space, and then disappeared. What remains as their trace?
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Pigeon - Pigeons lingered briefly within a scene, within a space, and then disappeared. What remains as their trace?

© JinYoung Lee - Image from the Shadow of a Dot photography project
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Shimmering Light -When I wanted to see the sea, I sat in front of a monitor and searched for a live broadcast of the ocean. For a long while, I watched sunlight shimmer across the waves somewhere in the world, beyond the screen.

© JinYoung Lee - Sunrise at 2:54 AM - If I wished, I could always watch the sun rising somewhere in the world, right at this moment.
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Sunrise at 2:54 AM - If I wished, I could always watch the sun rising somewhere in the world, right at this moment.

© JinYoung Lee - Image from the Shadow of a Dot photography project
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Sunset at 4:26 AM - Just as with scenes of sunrise, I encountered the sun setting again after it had already set-making me feel as though I had become the Little Prince.

© JinYoung Lee - Beach - I found a man standing on the beach, facing the waves. The camera continued to follow him.
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Beach - I found a man standing on the beach, facing the waves. The camera continued to follow him.

© JinYoung Lee - Image from the Shadow of a Dot photography project
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Woodland - Gazes with no discernible purpose sometimes reveal unexpectedly aesthetic compositions. What was the intention behind this gaze directed toward the woodland?

© JinYoung Lee - Asteroid - Depending on debris on the camera lens and the image quality, an ordinary light can become an asteroid.
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Asteroid - Depending on debris on the camera lens and the image quality, an ordinary light can become an asteroid.

© JinYoung Lee - Image from the Shadow of a Dot photography project
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Cosmos - I encountered a scene in which nothing appeared within the wide-angle frame. Yet it felt as though it revealed an entire cosmos.

© JinYoung Lee - Fog - A small light within a foggy, unknown landscape felt slightly lonely, yet approached me in a poetic way.
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Fog - A small light within a foggy, unknown landscape felt slightly lonely, yet approached me in a poetic way.

© JinYoung Lee - Image from the Shadow of a Dot photography project
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Road - At times, I encountered roads whose locations and connections were unknown. At times, these roads appeared quietly lyrical.

© JinYoung Lee - Image from the Shadow of a Dot photography project
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Fence - I found a fence that I don't know where it leads to on the screen. How far is the fence connected? What is beyond and inside of that fence?

© JinYoung Lee - horizontal line - I found a camera moving along the horizon line in time. The lines are endless.
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horizontal line - I found a camera moving along the horizon line in time. The lines are endless.

© JinYoung Lee - Image from the Shadow of a Dot photography project
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Streetlight - It's snowing somewhere, and the streetlights are constantly shining brightly in the center of the screen. This moment is poetic, and it's like a scene from a black-and-white movie.

Shadow of a Dot by JinYoung Lee

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