Stellar-MADE project
What is solarigraphy?
Solarigraphy is a photographic method that captures the path of the Sun across the sky over very long periods of time, from days to several months. Instead of using a normal camera, Patricio Michelin prepared a set of simple pinhole cameras — lightproof containers with a tiny hole and a sheet of photographic paper inside. The cameras were fixed in different places in the campus of Grenoble and left to expose for up to 12 months, during which the sun draws bright arcs across the paper each day as it rises and sets.
Once the paper removed, the images can be seen without chemical development. However, to be able to analyse them properly we scanned them to convert them into digital format. In some cases we also used AI tools to colour the pictures (in B&W per default). The result shows the repeated solar trails, alternating bands of cloudy weather, along with the surrounding landscape. Unlike traditional photography, solarigraphy does not freeze a single instant but instead condenses time itself into one picture, creating an image that is both scientific and artistic.
The solarigraphy images
The solarigraphy team
Project done by Patricio Michelin in collaboration with the Stellar-MADE team and OSUG.