Intervals of some short breaths
Exhibited at Kuvan Kevät 2024
Without thinking too much about it, I began to count the intervals between the photographs according to how many and what type of breaths I took. I am pretty sure that no scientific research would accept this rather unconventional way of measuring the intervals as legitimate, but for me it felt true. After all, I can trust myself that I have taken exactly five deep breaths, yet for the measured time I would have to trust clocks or
other mechanical tools. Not to mention that time as we know it, is but another system we as humans have agreed upon.
After I felt content with the amount of photographs I briefly went through them in the camera. The situation I had just witnessed with my eyes showed itself completely differently in the photographs; what I thought would’ve been a subtle change turned out to be rather drastic. Between every single photograph the sunlight had moved far more than I had expected. Some parts of the frame had been entirely swallowed by shadows while the colours of the leaves had become faded due to the sunlight moving away—such things that I couldn’t notice with just my eyes alone.
(excerpt from MFA thesis To photograph a butterfly)
After I felt content with the amount of photographs I briefly went through them in the camera. The situation I had just witnessed with my eyes showed itself completely differently in the photographs; what I thought would’ve been a subtle change turned out to be rather drastic. Between every single photograph the sunlight had moved far more than I had expected. Some parts of the frame had been entirely swallowed by shadows while the colours of the leaves had become faded due to the sunlight moving away—such things that I couldn’t notice with just my eyes alone.
(excerpt from MFA thesis To photograph a butterfly)
Joel Hilska-Heikkinen