Easement, induction (pines)

A photographic registration of an electrical field made visible through induced light

This diptych was made beneath a line of pines growing beside high-voltage transmission lines at a electrical easement at Watson, Canberra. At this particular location, the surrounding electrical field is strong enough to illuminate an fluorescent tube when held in my hand not directly connected to a power source . The tube registers a condition already present in the reserve but not possible to observe without the fluorescent tube.

The first photograph records the trees beneath an overcast sky; in the second, the illuminated tube appears within the same site as two bright vertical traces.

The grey-yellow atmosphere is produced by urban light reflected from low cloud. Recorded through long exposure, this light deepens the tonal density of the photographs and gives them an almost historical appearance, making the contemporary infrastructure difficult to place in time.

Together, the electrical field, vegetation, weather and camera turn the easement into an image-making apparatus. The work considers how transmission infrastructure extends beyond its visible poles and wires, structuring the space around it and entering the photograph without direct electrical connection.