Sun Collector Penelope Umbrico: 24 Hours of Endless Sunsets
American photographer Penelope Umbrico searches for photos on Flicker using the tag sunset, collects a selection of them, crops out only the sun portion of the collection, not seeing the surroundings, and then puts the many photos together to form one giant photo.
The title of the photo changes every time it is displayed. For example, 3221717 Suns from Flicker (partial) 3/31/08, which means how many photos were tagged on Flicker at that particular time.
2,024 chromogenic machine prints
Each 4 x 6 in
Installation view at New York Photo Festival, New York, 2008
192 chromogenic machine prints
Each 4 x 6 in
Installation view at Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, 2010
2,000 chromogenic machine prints
Each 4 x 6 in
Installation view at Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia 2007
Many of Penelope’s works are made from a collection of images. Her exploration is about how we construct the world as a whole. Every day, people are making images and sharing them on the web, distributed across various social media platforms. By collecting and analyzing these images, Penelope seeks to find clues to the nature of the broad group of “us” and how this group constructs a collective identity by making and choosing the images to disseminate.
I first got into photography because it was the most direct and easiest way for me to document life. The habit of recording sunsets under different suns and sunset skies in various weather conditions has gradually become ingrained in my life. So when I first saw this work, I was very touched. The beauty of photographing a sunset, Penelope points out, is that while the moment you’re photographing may be personal and unique, there are thousands of others just like you documenting similar scenes. This shared experience is transmitted through photography, revealing the power of countless different panoramas.
I’m trying to incorporate this kind of presentation into my work this semester. Although the photographs in this end-of-term exhibition are my personal collection of surveillance camera footage, Penelope’s artistic approach will provide me with important inspiration and references if I continue to work on this project in the future.
*Reference：
