Prodigal Sun
Prodigal Sun uses the physical relationship of light and film as a metaphor for the constructive and destructive potential of aspirational ideologies. Drawing on the cultural myths of Icarus and the imperial drive of Manifest Destiny, the camera’s lens moves endlessly west in pursuit of the sun. While the sun illuminates the landscape, the attempt to capture this ultimate light source on film simultaneously obliterates the image. The installation situates the history of the camera’s pursuit of light as one rooted in western strategies of knowledge aligned with colonialist drives.