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Lilienthal Solargraphy

Lilienthal Solargraphy

Physical data recording
I create images of the sunlight using pinhole cameras at my home in Lilienthal, Germany. This image presents a graphical recording of the sun’s position and strength over the course of 6 months in the second half of 2022.

Exploring data-less, autographic visualizations bears a fascination for me, as it allows us to explore materiality and process behind data graphics in new ways. As a personal experiment, I set up pinhole cameras to capture the sun’s light over the course of 6 months. The resulting images are diagrammatic in nature, but were created without any data, merely through a specific physical setup.

![Pinhole camera materials labelled on a wooden table: a light-tight can and a pack of Ilford photographic paper](./_2022-12-22 material.jpg)

Blue-toned solargraph with white streaks tracing daily sun paths arcing across the sky over months

Sepia solargraph with dark banded arcs tracing the sun's daily paths over six months in Lilienthal

Mathias Stahl has created remakes of the images using code. It is interesting to compare the relative qualities of the two approaches.

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