Caleb Charland – Back to Light
Caleb Charland is a photographer from Portland, Maine. His practice as an artist combines a scientific curiosity with a constructive approach to making pictures. He utilizes everyday objects and fundamental forces to illustrate experiences of wonder. For him, wonder is a state of mind somewhere between knowledge and uncertainty. “Energy vibrates in that space between our perceptions of the world and the potential the mind senses for our interventions within the world,” he says. “Back to Light” series expand upon a classic grade school science project, the potato battery. By inserting a galvanized nail into one side of a potato and a copper wire in the other side a small electrical current is generated. This work speaks to a common curiosity we all have for how the world works as well as a global concern for the future of earth’s energy sources. He uses coins, fruits, vegetables, and even vinegar to power lights in his long exposure photographs, illuminating earth once again.
