Kümei Kirschmann

Complejo Astronómico Municipal de Rosario (Argentina) - 16/04/2022

"Estenopos urbanos" is my most ambitious project so far. My interest in public spaces and experimental photography found the perfect fusion in this project. I wanted to take those spaces and portray them in the initial way that a photographer would do in the 19th century with the tools of the 21st century. Creating cameras obscuras with 3D printing, installing them in different spaces and letting the sun make the fascinating impression of the environment and the people passing through. They portray and seize a second of light, the community and the environment are part of an image.

The union of science, technology and art found its peak when experimenting with the new materials and tools typical of this time, one of the main objectives of my project. Bringing photographic art to shared spaces such as urban ones implies a dialogue with passers-by and the environment. The irruption or use of public space as a communication, dissemination and disclosure plan. Many people have no idea this type of photography exists and I felt the need to share its principles, possibilities and news. Solarigraphy and pinhole are alternative methods of generating accessible photographic images that include the entire community. They are inclusive, playful and craft practices that demand to be discovered and shared to demonstrate that error and chance can bring something positive to the outcome, and the importance of the process on the final result.

Finally, I was able to create 3 big solarigraphy cameras (30 x 30 cm), two cubic and one semi-cylindrical. The choice of the different designs and colors was a planned and aesthetic decision, to attract the attention of passers-by who came across them.

On Saturday, April 16, I gave a presentation at the Complejo Astronómico de Rosario divided into three parts: an introductory part in the open air so that people could see and touch the cameras, and I also presented both techniques: pinhole and solarigraphy; the second part was in the Copernicus room, where I projected several solarigraphy images and videos about the 3D printing process. The last part was the installation of two cameras on the roof of the building. They were exposed from 04/16/22 to 04/27/22, one oriented to the west and the other to the east. There were many rainy and cloudy days, so only the one that was pointing to the east was able to portray the passage of the sun.