Drawing on the visual and written languages of light, Capturing Starlight comprises archival photography, fieldwork, and artefact to explore the tension between the photographic image as art and evidence.
This work is a consideration of where art and the archive intersect and what can be suggested through the re-enactment of historical archival material. Is the accessibility of the archive increased when it is interpreted beyond the immediate function to inform and remember?

In the State Library of Western Australia is the collection connected to the 1922 Wallal solar eclipse expedition. This endeavour saw a delegation of international scientists and astronomers embark on a journey to the north-west of Western Australia to witness a solar eclipse, capture starlight and verify Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.

Through fragmentation, fracturing and unfolding, my project endeavours to illuminate what is sidelined in the archive. Of this event (Wallal). Wallal Downs exists both as place and concept, weaved throughout the work. This investigation allows for active engagement with the past, rather than confining it to the stacked shelves of the archival vault.

Third Floor Stack, Third Floor of Western Australia
Third Floor Stack, Third Floor of Western Australia $1,000.00 AUD