Phototeleportation is an intimate exploration of how art can bridge vast distances, preserve cultural connections, and sustain creative dialogue in an increasingly fragmented world. Each image proves human creativity's enduring power to overcome physical barriers, finding new ways to be present for one another.
As for many artists, the global Covid-19 pandemic had a huge impact on Anastasia Blackman's practice. However, for her, it expedited a positive cumulation of all her personal and creative experiences to date. Unique circumstances shone a spotlight on Anastasia's belief in evolution. As she attests, technology can uncover new creative possibilities and new means to make art.
Bringing together staging skills from theatre with professional education in cinematography, alongside her photography practice, she created Phototeleportation. By using a combination of Zoom calls on her laptop, a pocket video projector and a camera, Anastasia opened up an opportunity to shrink time, to photograph anyone, anywhere in the world — without leaving her apartment in San Francisco.
Starting on a grassroots level, she reached out to her creative community in Ukraine and around the world, connecting with them to find out how they were adapting to the lockdown and how they were coping through the restrictions of the global pandemic.
“All my commercial projects were on hold until the lockdown was over, so I had too much time and too many ideas. I was like a bottle of champagne, full of bubbles and pressure until the cork flew out. Ultimately, Phototeleportation was a way to plug in all the tools and experience that I had into my network and see what would happen. To create, instead of sitting at home puzzled and paralyzed by the circumstances I couldn't change. When you look at each image, you see not just the photo of a video call, but my background in theatre and cinematography, my curiosity and need for human connection. It was so inspiring for me to connect with artists around the world and to keep creating art through this challenging time of isolation.”
Anastasia worked on the project throughout lockdown, undertaking 36 shoots in the first month, connecting with different people in different time zones worldwide. Over time, the Phototeleportation project gained traction, attracting new collaborators and media interest worldwide.
The series has since been exhibited internationally, with the most recent installation at The Hellenic Centre in London.
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