Solar Recordings of Phone Calls

Solar Recordings of Phone Calls with Family Members, Friends, and Scammers, use long exposure times to document the „movement” of the sun across the sky. The length of the exposure causes the film to solarize, which turns the sun's path into a dark, vaguely extraterrestrial, streak; cleaving across the sky in each frame. The exact time of each exposure is dictated by the duration of specific phone calls allowing inferences to be made about the nature of the relationship and conversation that each photograph records. Each image becomes a tangible artefact of a specific conversation, unveiling the intricacies of relationships and the subtleties of dialogues. Patterns emerge, revealing the ebb and flow of conversations, mirroring the dynamics between individuals and the profoundness of their connections. Inspired by personal experiences as an immigrant reaching across global distances to connect with loved ones, this project also embraces the unexpected. Calls with scammers and advertisers injected satirical elements into the recordings, weaving unforeseen dimensions into the narrative. The resulting monochromatic archive is a repository of intimate words, political debates, and the persistent yearning for distant loved ones. The desolate beauty of landscapes and celestial streaks beckons viewers to ponder the intricacies of human relationships, the fragility of time, and the quest for meaningful connections in our paradoxically interconnected yet isolated world.