Solar Writer

Solar Writer is an analogue instrument designed to transcribe the daily passage of the sun directly onto paper. Constructed from metal, the device uses concentrated solar energy to scorch a non-flammable substrate, producing a singular, unique daily record of the light intensity and movement across the course of the day. The resulting artefacts are not photographs or digital captures — instead documents written by the sun, carrying the character of a specific place, day, and atmosphere.

As part of this installation, Solar Writer will operate in situ across the duration of the event, generating a daily artefact that accumulates as a body of work over time. Each piece in the collection — the device, the instruction manual, and the growing archive of scorched records — functions both independently and as part of a whole, inviting the viewer to consider the relationship between natural phenomena, time, and material trace. The work asks a quiet question: what does it look like when a day writes itself?

Line of sight to the sky in an open area the existing artefacts will need to be displayed under cover in case it rains. It has a carrying case, instruction manual and 1 archive from a previous display.