Photography

This long-term project explores the darkest locations in the world through large-format photography. Certified by different organisations through strict light measuring procedures, these sites provide the best conditions for viewing an unimpeded night sky. Predominantly used by astronomers, these sites are selected for their distance from centres of urban densification. The necessity of these measures is solely triggered by anthropogenic factors.

Since 2017, Whelan has been travelling regularly to these dark sites across the world, focusing specifically on the places themselves. Directly connected with overpopulation, errant light pollution mortally affects migrating birds, fish, bats and sea turtles and is a contributing factor in the decline of insect populations, and consequently invaluable ecosystems. It disrupts the human circadian rhythm, leading to significant physical and psychological problems that are only just beginning to be understood. Photographing the places at night, using a large-format camera with long exposures, the base chemistry of the film records traces of light that would otherwise be invisible to the human eye. Inherent in this project is a gesture of impossibility: How can the immaterial be captured? How can absence be recorded? How can darkness itself be recorded on film? Only traces of the landscapes become visible. The uncanny lack of detail in these large-scale images is captivating - absence becomes presence. The project challenges the limits of photography; the minimal aesthetic of the images creates an unsettling contrast to the subject matter.

Funded by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon