kaalam: light calligraphy

'last train'
brooklyn, new york, USA
photograph by david gallard
image © julien breton


exploring the gestures and movements of calligraphy, nantes-based artist kaalam (aka julien breton)
has created a body of work that uses hand-held light and long-exposure photographic techniques to
capture the transient form within a real setting. often utilizing urban or historical sites as his
three-dimensional canvas, the self-taught artist creates his own latin-based alphabet that heavily draws
from traditional arabic and eastern calligraphy. arresting and provocative, the floating light forms
are not mere superimposed subjects but display a direct engagement with the surroundings.

the capturing process, which can take as long as ten minutes, requires a choreographed movement
which kaalam practices before hand in heavy repetition. different colours of 'ink' is achieved through
pigmented gelatin which is applied directly onto the lamps. none of the photographs are retouched
or edited, illustrating the laborious process in a single shot.



'undercover'
brooklyn bridge, new york, USA
photograph by david gallard
image © julien breton



'freedom'
worksop, england
photograph by david gallard
image © julien breton



'lux - lumière'
photograph by david gallard
image © julien breton



'aerial'
photograph by david gallard
image © julien breton



'intimité'
dampsmesnil, france
photograph by david gallard
image © julien breton



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