In 2006 I moved from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. The two cities are undoubtedly and expectantly different. But one peculiar Tel Aviv quality reminded me of “Mulholland Drive” by David Lynch. Walking its quiet and pastoral streets one sometimes comes across dark alleyways and corners, where the man sits holding the blue key to the city dweller’s midnight fears.
It is it’s technical qualities that allow photographic film to accumulate light, rendering the obscure scenery visible and all the moving life transparent. As the result of long exposure the terrifying dark trails present themselves as ordinary side streets and night flânuers leave an invisible trace.
The production process of such a work is an exciting one. The low visibility of the scene allows oneself to abstract from the object photographed and from the technical side of it, as precise exposure calculation is nearly impossible in such lighting conditions. The photographer here is no longer a bias viewer, but a participator of the event.
In “White Nights” series, as it’s author, I am present in every image. In some, the ghostly body is more recognizable then in others, but it is nevertheless literally a constitutive part of every one of them. Some times, during the long exposures I find myself as if away on a vacation in the nature. The wild nature, where the shadows of beasts of prey sometimes flicker in the distance.
As night evolves into day, the latent image is developed visible on paper.