Light painting is simple, all you need is a light source and a camera capable of long-exposure photography. The technique is difficult to master though, as the end result depends on the moves of the creator holding the light source. The drawing disappears the very moment the action takes place, meaning it is almost impossible see your progress during the creative process.

Mexican artist Said Dokins is taking light painting to another level with his graffiti styled calligraphy. Collaborating with photographer Leonardo Luna, “Heliographies of Memory” is a long-term project that consists of a series of photographic records of actions occurring in front of historical buildings, monuments, public plazas and abandoned places. Dokins explores diverse social,  historical and symbolic values that define these places, tackling the relations between history and death, the instant and the long lasting and the visible and the invisible. With his light inscriptions, Dokins is re-signifying the architectonic emblems of several cities in Mexico, Germany and France.

“Heliographies of Memory” is being exhibited in the “OSTRALE-Biennale for Contemporary Art” in Dresden until October 1. You can also visit Dokins’ Facebook and Instagram to explore more of his work.