This was my fifth Camera obscura installation. It was located in the former Axa building in Ghent, Belgium from 28/02/2019 to 03/03/2019.
I like the simplicity of a camera obscura. Basically it is just a dark space with a tiny hole in one side where light can enter the camera. All cameras, even eyes, follow this same basic principle. It truly is the primal camera.
With this version visitors needed to enter the camera but if they wanted to see the image inside, they needed to slow down. Your eyes need at least a couple of minutes to adjust to the darkness. There’s nothing to see if you are in a hurry.
By choosing such a low-tech tool instead of a digital camera to create images, I like to make a statement about the value of simplicity and the impact of technology on our lives hoping this may spark a discussion about the role of technology. I find the camera obscura inside is like a piece of artificial night to better observe the outside.
In all some 150 visitors experienced the installation. Each one spent at least a couple of minutes in the camera. For most of them it was their first experience to be inside a camera obscura.
50 x 50 cm, print on Canson Velin Museum Rag 250gsm – Matte
