It came to him in a vision. Or perhaps it was more of a memory. A large flock of birds, grouped together in a dense, dynamic cloud of black and white, shifting from one formation to another: at one moment, a landscape; at other secret messages written in the sky; at another, still a glimpse of the universe and its specks of stardust.

Danish photographer Søren Solkær sed to capturing the faces of some of the world’s most famous celebrities – from Amy Winehouse to David Lynch to Adele – now Solkær has taken a break from portraiture, turning his talented, meticulous hand to birds. The project proper began five years ago, but Solkær has been subconsciously working on this series for more than 40 years.

Solkær first witnessed the captivating murmurations (the name given to a large flock of travelling starlings) on the marshlands of his homeland of Denmark. The birds were self-organising in an attempt to defend themselves against a looming predator. In doing so, they began winding this way and that in the sky, leaving ink-like traces as they flew. This vision left a mark on the photographer, drawing his mind’s eye to the image repeatedly, eventually finding a way to capture them on camera. In his abstract about the series, the artist describes this natural happening as “one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena.

Black Sun is a departure in style and subject from his previous pieces, especially in his use of natural light and the elements. Still, Solkær outlines that there remain some fundamental overlaps. The artist is deeply bound to his work, putting his being into what he does, and this carries across from his portraits to this latest series. He states: I try to put my soul into everything I do – and hope it shines through.

Solkær plans to continue this project indefinitely, perhaps expanding the horizons of his newfound love of nature photography to fireflies and other flying marvels. Solkær took some time out of his busy schedule travelling the world and immortalising contemporary legends to tell CLOT about the inspirations for this series and the deeply personal roots of its origin.

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