Finding Light, Or Akiva, Israel
Five selected photographs from an ongoing series. This series was captured during the summer and fall of 2024 between 3 AM and 5 AM along the Or Akiva promenade, the artist’s daily walking route, and in the city park where she exercises.
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2024 has been a year marked by significant challenges and difficulties in Israel. The dimming of the literal lights outside mirrored an inner darkness, unsettling beliefs, hopes, and perceptions. As the artist walked and worked out during these early hours, the surrounding darkness became a dominant force, infiltrating her mind and heart. The parallels between external and internal realities, along with the sensory associations between them, ignited a desire to explore and confront the darkness as a means of coping with the overwhelming feelings of depression and disorientation.
The familiar streets transformed dramatically at night. In the absence of light, the routine became unfamiliar, inducing feelings of disorientation, strangeness, and even fear. The photographs convey a sense of impending catastrophe, amplified by the confusion and lack of usual order and predictability.
As the series evolved, the initial goal of simply documenting the darkness and its psychological impact shifted. An exploration of the moon, streetlights, and garden lights emerged, along with an interest in how light diffuses through foliage and alters the appearance of the surrounding environment. Consequently, the experience of encountering darkness gave way to an observation of light.
Photographing in the dark without a flash presents technical challenges, including the selection of appropriate lenses, the utilization of streetlights and moonlight, the intentional introduction of graininess, and the careful reduction of any visible signs of these techniques. The final photographs aim to evoke a range of emotions and reflect the unique qualities of nighttime photography.
