Dear reader,

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Whichever internet detour brought you to this page, I'm glad you're here.

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My name is Choucri Bechir and after collecting pictures for a decade, I am excited to share with you my first photography project Sonic Wombs. Made in the darkness of music venues, the series is a study of concert hall dynamics and a personal reflection on the transcendental power of live music.

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Sonic Wombs is currently being launched gradually. The launch started the second  week of June, will span over 6 weeks, and happen primarily through a newsletter. If you decide to join, you'll wake up to one picture in your inbox every couple of days.

Why a gradual release? I like to think of the way people encounter pictures in books. I believe that the potency of a photograph is experienced to its fullest when we allow ourselves the quiet and solitary pleasure of observing it at length. Unfortunately, in this age of digital data, instant sharing and visual overdose, our attention span has become so short we don’t take the time to observe pictures anymore. For how long did you look at the above picture before scrolling down? What if the button wasn't there?

Proceeding with a gradual release is an invitation to slow down and reflect on how our relationship with photographs changes when we exercise patience and mindfulness. It’s also an attempt to counteract the extremely fast-paced exchange of pictures we’ve reached today. 

What happens when we carefully look at a single image? When we stay with it for more than 30 seconds? How is our perception of it affected, when we allow for a more intimate reading to take place? And where does the mind wander after it has left the surface? 

If you'd like to join me on this little experiment, leave your e-mail address below and I'll be in touch shortly.

Talk soon,

Choucri