The Authentic Collective
Camera Obscura
2085 Narrative
In 2085, truth is obscured by AI-generated memories, fiction mistaken for reality. The Authentic Collective reclaims clarity by reviving the craft of image-making. Rooted in the weathered fabric of Papplewick Pumping Station, it draws from the camera obscura’s legacy by using handcrafted lenses to reject synthetic vision and restore truth. Inspired by phototropism, large-scale lenses track the sun, harvesting light to power biofuel conversion. This natural movement becomes a metaphor for seeking truth. Through Lens Creation, Energy Harvesting, and the Image Studio, the Collective offers a return to seeing, making, and remembering... authentically.
Spatial Concept
The journey begins in the Lens Creation space, where users handcraft precision lenses, each one a tactile rejection of AI-generated imagery. These lenses are then assembled into bespoke cameras, tools for capturing truth. Moving onward, visitors encounter large-scale lenses in the Energy Harvesting zone, where focused sunlight powers biofuel conversion, transforming light into life. The journey concludes in the Image Studio, where users load their crafted lenses into cameras to capture raw, honest photographs. Together, these spaces form a layered experience of seeing, making, and resisting. A path back to authentic memory through craft and light.
