BLACK POWDER

Black Powder explores how fracture, light, and pattern shape both matter and memory. If Elemento magnified crystalline interiors and Saudades Grip examined colour in liminal space, then Black Powder turns to the unearthly spectacle of light itself.

Black powder is the ignition that propels a firework into the sky. Watching fireworks arc across the night recalls the astonishment I feel when encountering an opal: a sense of seeing colour for the first time, of embarking on a voyage of discovery. The swirls, spirals, and sprays of iridescence in precious opals are as dazzling and elusive as a starburst galaxy or the light bending at the edge of a black hole.

In this series I have also explored alternative printing technologies and materials. These photographs are printed directly on glass, a surface that refracts and amplifies the imagery, echoing the opal’s own shifting play of colour. Within my broader oeuvre, Black Powder speaks to the pursuit of wonder, suggesting that awe remains a vital lens through which to encounter the world.