Staring Into The Sun
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Dates2023 - Ongoing
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Author
- Location New Zealand, New Zealand
My fascination with the Sun began as curiosity—essential yet elusive. 'Staring Into The Sun' explores reversing its role from light source to subject, embracing the taboo of looking directly at it and its deeper symbolism.
My artistic practice is deeply rooted in the interplay between outer space and inner contemplation, with the Sun as a recurring subject both technically and metaphorically. My first and ongoing exhibition ‘Staring into the Sun’ extends my exploration of celestial bodies, using photography as a means to examine vision, perception, and the limits of human sight.
The Sun is impossible to gaze at directly for long without consequence. This tension between what can and cannot be seen is important throughout my process, particularly in the darkroom, where I work blindly, allowing chance to guide the formation of these RA-4 compositions. The darkroom itself becomes metaphorical to my process and consideration too.
I work with two different analogue techniques to produce my artwork, each reflecting a different approach to capturing the Sun. The first method involves using a 35mm film camera with extremely long lenses to directly photograph the Sun. The second method takes place entirely in the darkroom, where I handcraft camera-less RA-4 prints. The tactile, hands-on nature of my process is integral to my practice, transforming a 35mm film exposure into a handcrafted print reflects an entangled connection with the physicality of light itself. Photography, as a medium that relies on light and time, becomes the best way for exploring optical phenomena.
At the core of my work is the idea of connection between oneself and the photographic process, between the medium and the Sun, and to some degree between the viewer and the act of seeing. The unpredictability in the darkroom, mirrors the uncontrollable nature of light. By embracing the constraints of vision and the unknown possibilities of the photographic process, I invite viewers to engage with light in new ways, considering both its presence and its absence. Through this, 'Staring into the Sun’ becomes more than a series of images, to me it is an exploration of perception, materiality, and the optical phenomena that shape our experience of seeing the world.
