2013-2014
large-format slide projection, DIY large-format slide projector, DIY 4 × 5 camera and electronics, balloon payload box and parachute, self-published how-to manual: ‘How to Make a Large Format Photograph of the Horizon from the Edge of Space’
For this project, I made an image of the Earth’s horizon from 15 miles above its surface. I built a custom 4 × 5 camera rigged with hardware and software that would expose the single piece of film inside at the correct altitude and when the camera was pointed away from the Sun and aimed at the horizon. I then worked with a crew of amateur radio operators to launch and recover my camera on a weather balloon.
Many such amateur groups around the world have captured images such as this, following instructions posted on the Internet, with their resulting digital images becoming something of a meme. High Altitude Balloon Harmless Amateur Radio Equipment changes the usual dissemination of this image by projecting it in a gallery at a scale wherein viewers can lose themselves. This creates a perceptual experience to match the grandeur of launching something to the edge of space.
The title of the work is taken from the label placed on the side of the balloon payload by the amateur radio operators, whereby if found by a stranger they would not think it was a bomb.
2013
cardboard, tape, lens, electronics, 4×5 film back
5 1⁄2 × 7 × 7 in