Lightning Fields

In an era where digital technology reigns supreme, it is always a breath of fresh air for me to stumble upon some analog work. In his series Lightning Fields, Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto has eliminated the use of the camera altogether. Instead, he uses a 400,000 volt Van de Graaff generator to produce an electrical charge that is directly applied to photographic film. The resulting textures and patterns are quite spectacular. Sugimoto has managed to somewhat “influence” the electric current into producing a desired effect. “I have a kitchen’s worth of utensils that produce sparks with different characteristics, but there are many variables — weather, humidity, perhaps even what I had for breakfast — I’m never sure what influences the results.”

Photographs and quotation from Wired Magazine.