Manasarovar 2014.08.18 (A Self-Portrait)

Lake Manasarovar, in Western Tibet, was once one of the more remote lakes in the world. Now, due to dramatic improvements to the infrastructure in Tibet, the lake is accessible by tour buses bringing thousands of pilgrims a year. This has recently exposed the lake to new technologies as everyone is pointing their smart-phones, tablets, and digital cameras at the lake, taking selfies in front of the lake.

I turned things around in helping the lake create its own self-portrait. I floated a laser on the surface of the water, pointed back at us. Then I recorded what the lake drew with the laser pointer. I was finally able to have the video of the laser’s path digitized (thanks to Kevin Phillips at Northern Michigan University’s Exercise Science program). The data was then plotted to create a digital image - an image drawn by the lake.