Sunfast, Protozone 20

Marking the beginning of harvest, Sunfast reflects on resource and scarcity, drawing on the ancient festival of Lughnasad as a celebration of abundance and a lament for its passing. Sunlight is one of our most abundant and accessible resources and as the climate crisis accelerates, we are ever more aware of its effects. In a time of ecological urgency, with tightening budgets and resources, Sunfast asks: How can we create something impactful with what we already have? And how can we work with, rather than against, natural forces?

The prints were accompanied by two films: one documenting the darkroom dyeing process in London, the other capturing the time-sensitive exposures in Zürich. The second film interweaves a collage of voiceovers drawn from stories of the sun, including renditions of the myth of Icarus and Octavia E. Butler’s climate crisis post-apocalypse in Parable of the Sower. Two voices splice these fragments together, presenting the sun as a character within a cyclical narrative of labour, light, and collective process.

Shedhalle’s Protozone series proposes exhibitions as evolving environments, rooted in the practices and processes of those who take part. For Protozone 20: Unending, Assemble’s contribution produced a setting for performances and interventions running each weekend throughout September 2025, with artists engaging directly with the installation and its visitors.