Lumen features a collection of glass-plate lantern slides held at the Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County in Belleville, Ontario. Produced in the 1920s, many of the slides have shattered and mildewed with age. Yet, they remain compelling. Some depict solar flares, planetary orbits, the surface of the Moon, and even a fanciful illustration from H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds.
Lumen explores these fascinating objects through a series of photographs, artists’ books, and a video installation. Evocative of groundbreaking astrophotography–from 19th century daguerreotypes of the Moon, to the earliest NASA satellite images–Lumen is bold, immersive, and otherworldly.