In The Black of Light : Research 58
This project began as a humble attempt to isolate and capture the sunlight in a park where I grew up. I was drawn to the way the golden hour light filtered through the trees, creating fleeting, almost magical moments. I wanted to go beyond simply photographing the light; I wanted to explore its transformation, degradation, and reflection.
Using a safety blanket as a reflective surface, I created an installation where the golden rays played across the fabric, shifting between warm golds and cool blues as it swayed in the wind.
This simple act of capturing light became something of a ritual for me, and from there, I turned it into a conceptual exploration.
I photographed the installation using black-and-white film and developed the negatives with plants sourced from the same location, integrating the environment into the process itself. My aim was not only to capture the light but also to investigate its decay. By experimenting with solarization, I introduced a double transformation—one that allowed the light to degrade the film, echoing the fleeting, transient nature of sunlight.
During this process, I encountered the Clayden effect, a phenomenon where intense light can reverse into darkness on film. Though not a precise representation, the concept of light turning to dark, of radiance becoming decay, resonated with my exploration. This series is an attempt to make light itself the main character—a participant in its own degradation, reflecting not just on the world around it but on its own impermanence.
What began as a simple experiment evolved into a conceptual mini-series, where light, reflection, and decay are all in conversation with one another, reminding us of the delicate balance between visibility and disappearance.