Wojtek Kutyla

Skip to content

Sunless (working title)

This project is work in progress. Everything that you see here might change. And most likely will.

Please keep this page to yourself for now unless I instruct you otherwise. Thanks!

The idea

In Ray Bradbury’s short story “All Summer in a Day,” we follow Margot, a child living on Venus, where the sun shines for just two hours every seven years. Margot, “a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years”, eagerly anticipates this magical moment. Yet, bullied by her peers, who do not believe her stories of living in the sunlight on Earth, she’s unable to enjoy the brief moment of happiness. She’s thrown into a dark closet instead and misses the event.

It’s a work of fiction, but I too, like many of my peers, come from a place where the sun shines for at least a few hours almost every day of the year. Even in the winter we get glimpses of it. It might be cold and brief, but it’s there, giving us its energy.

I now live in Scotland, a country that is severely affected by lack of sunshine. Its northern latitude and maritime climate limit the number of sunny days across the year. In the darkest of winter, it might enjoy as little as 1.5 hours of exposure per day on average.

According to research, 92% of Scots over 45 years old fail to receive enough vitamin D during that time. [Whilst I couldn’t find data for the younger part of the population, it’s probably not much better.] Researchers coined the term the “Scottish Effect” to explain the higher mortality rates in Scotland than in England, affecting all social classes. The lack of sun exposure in Scotland might help partly explain this phenomenon, as it affects vitamin D levels.

I know that not all of us might appreciate the sun when it’s out. Many of my Scottish peers have sensitive skin that reacts poorly to it, and they are not familiar with sunscreen. Yet, we all rely on the sun’s rays. And when they’re gone, many of us feel like something important has been taken away.

This work is a response to the shadow that envelops Scotland over the darker months.

An example of a portrait from the project

More information?

Affected by the lack of sun and constantly dreaming about warmer, sunnier places, I embarked on a project to illustrate this feeling and need for warmth, which rarely exists in Scotland. Some ideas I want to explore:

  • Portraits in the SAD light,
  • Environmental photography around the non-existent “golden hours”,
  • Drawings and installation in an emotional response to mood impacted by the darkness,
  • Other things that might emerge in between. There will be loads.

I am hoping for an exhibition at the end and aiming at publishing it as a book. This project will take some time to develop.

If you’re impacted by the lack of sun and crave it, get in touch (either by email or on Instagram). Let’s talk.

Important things

  1. This is the collaborator (model) release form that I will ask you to sign before the shoot. Please read it prior to the visit and ask any questions.
  2. Please read information on how to prepare for the visit. It will make our experience smooth and nice. Respect!