MOLD 
[2024]

lumen prints

I made lumen prints of different plants, leaving them exposed to natural light for weeks. During this time, the plant material decomposed. This way the paper not only shows the image formed by the light, but also the effect of time.

The project deliberately avoids the act of fixation. The possibility of ephemerality and further change over time remains an integral part of the work.

art, mould, luminogram, moldy luminogram, photography

During the exposure, the paper gradually changed colour depending on the intensity and spectrum of the light. Meanwhile chemicals from the decomposition of the plants interacted with the surface. The process is completely unpredictable.

mould, lumen print, photography
mold, lumen print, photography
mold, lumen print, photography
mould, lumen print, photography
mold, lumen print, moldy lumen print, photography

The ephemeral nature of the images reveals the transience of the present. It highlights the interaction of light and time. Traces of time become visible on the surface. The environment shapes the texture of the material. The image-making process is designed to react and change. The notion of the image of light in this context goes beyond the act of instantaneous capture. During exposure, light not only illuminates the imprint of the plants, but also acts as a catalyst for temporal change. The traces of decomposition – stains, discolouration, textural changes – are themselves traces of light and time together.

mold, lumen print, moldy lumen print, photography
mould, lumen print, moldy lumen print, photography

For me, this project was not only a technical experiment, but a reflection on how to approach the relationship between permanence and change within a medium.

gdhef