Thinking about optics, I started experimenting with the pinhole element, itself—a small disc made of metal with a hole in the center. In collaboration with a pinhole apparatus and an iPhone camera lens, I watch light fluctuate over a field such as the blank ground of a ceiling or the backdrop of the sky to conjure otherworldly images. Photography becomes an act of recording as the long exposure reflects a confluence of light, sensor, and pixelated data. The finesse of the hand while navigating this performative space between watching and finding becomes essential. In a sense, this embodied action mirrors the camera-less photogram process. The resulting images become digitally-derived drawings with light. Through these pinhole meditations, light becomes both material and subject. (2026—ongoing)
Beth D'Elia . Studio 