LIGHT THE UNDERGROUND
At only 20 years old, Light The Underground has already created an impressive portfolio of light projects and social experiments. His process includes exploring abandoned buildings, factories, sewers and caves and creating a photograph using slow exposure and lights. “I started out as an urban explorer just taking pictures of the places I went but after a while it was the same old tunnels and same pictures. Then I came across light painting and it started a whole new way to photograph the places I went. I do research and there is a tight knit community of urban explorer who I sometimes go with and find lots of my locations through them.”
He will then frame these pictures and return them to the place where the image was created, thus illuminating this space. Although most of us will never see these works in the habitats they were created, we can imagine the surreal experience of seeing a finely framed print in an abandoned space, almost as a marker of past explorers or a modern cave drawing. It is easy to assume that this illumination is both a literal and figurative one; highlighting economic conditions, unused potential or our throw-away consumerist culture. But when asked of his motivations, Light The Underground responds with youthful charisma, “I like to share my work with others and try to let people see the rare and exotic locations they don't usually get to see, and at the same time getting people to wonder how the photograph got there. I haven't thought much about a larger message”.
Nathaniel
You can of course see more at IMPERMANENT PUBLIC at The Future Presence Gallery July 29th, and at Lighttheunderground.com
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