Carly Rene Hough

Past Dark, 2020-2021

The sun sets like clockwork. Humans flock to the comfort of their homes, leaving the night peaceful yet empty. The search for light drives me out in the cold, and I linger where it falls, letting my camera absorb the scene for minutes at a time. The images imprint on rich black and white film, rendering in eerie detail beyond what our eyes can perceive naturally. The photographs concern domestic spaces and the hours in which we sleep, as I creep around dark corners to steal these scenes and lurk in the gardens and front steps of houses whose owners I do not know. Small details become clearer than ever, and one can begin to investigate the night world unseen. Windows become beacons of light, as do a pair of chairs left unattended under a full moon. Shadows twist and turn into spidery fingers creeping over the boards of a house. Near Dark is a work about wandering around in the dark and observing shadows and light, a small act of theft as the occupants of the homes continue on, none the wiser to my actions.