Sunflowers by Wesely

Nothing but large Sunflowers by Michael Wesely Arles 2026 “Nothing but large Sunflowers” is a photography project about time, growth and transformation. A fixed camera captures a sunflower field near Arles in the south of France in one-minute exposures – from the moment of sowing to the harvest. Over the course of weeks and months, these images are compiled into photographs that do not depict a single moment, but rather accumulate time; the photograph, ageing minute by minute, records its progression. Weather, changing light, organic growth and human activity all leave visible traces in the final photograph. The project takes up the theme of the sunflower, which is deeply rooted in art history and closely associated with Arles. Vincent van Gogh painted his famous sunflowers whilst living in the town between 1888 and 1889. For van Gogh, the sunflower was more than just a botanical motif; it was a symbol of vitality, friendship, devotion and the intensity of the southern light. His paintings sought to capture the emotional and spiritual power of a single, heightened moment. “Nothing but large Sunflowers” approaches the same subject from a different temporal perspective. Whilst van Gogh condensed the experience into expressive brushstrokes and vibrant colours, this project extends the moment into duration. Rather than interpreting the flower through gesture and pigments, it observes its entire life cycle through a continuous photographic process. The work does not depict a sunflower in its prime, but rather the unfolding of growth, flowering, decay and harvest. In this way, photography transcends the fleeting moment and becomes a medium of duration. Whilst van Gogh’s paintings captured the emotional power of a single moment, “Nothing but large Sunflowers” extends this power across time itself. It is not the individual image, but time itself that becomes the central theme of the work. The project in Arles is planned for the summer of 2026 as part of the “Les Rencontres de la Photographie” photography festival. From the moment the seeds are sown, the sunflower field will be photographed day by day, minute by minute, throughout its entire growth cycle. Software automatically combines the individual images into a continuously evolving image. This ever-changing work is displayed in real time on selected screens in Arles. Visitors can thus witness the image’s creation and transformation live – a visible dialogue between growth, bloom and decay. With the app, you can watch the live stream and activate the filters on offer, so that the stream is altered for everyone. Free filters can be interrupted by others at any time. Via in-app purchases, you can activate filters permanently for five minutes, or for one hour on a specific day and at a specific time, thereby changing the appearance of the stream globally. You can also save snapshots to an album and share them with others. And, of course, the scheduled filters make wonderful gifts with which you can surprise others!