Light Graffiti Artist Vicki DaSilva

Vicki DaSilva is a light graffiti legend.
Influenced by the birth and boom of graffiti in New York City, she decided to develop her own more ephemeral but no less inspiring take on the art form, making thin air instead of subway cars her canvas, swapping spray cans for light sources, and capturing the play of light in long exposure photography. She has been creating light graffiti and light painting photographs since 1980
McCarren Pool (1985)
Vicki DaSilva’s work is broad in scope, from technical conceptual pieces involving track systems like those from her ‘Light Tartans’ series, to the more direct socio-political throw-ups of her ‘Financial Meltdown’ series. After concentrating on installation-based work for a long time, she became inspired to make some new light graffiti work during the Obama campaign. Here the artist herself talks exclusively to Environmental Graffiti.
Bailout Bull (2008)
EG: How would you explain the way light graffiti works to the novice?
Vicki DaSilva: Light graffiti is a very basic technique of using any light source as a method of drawing for a time exposure photograph in the dark, or at night. Using a camera that allows a ‘bulb’ setting for an extended time, while on a tripod, the light source is directed at the camera and the camera documents the movement of the light. Trial and error are needed to perfect any number of variables.
AIG = IOU (2009)
EG: What is your modus operandi in a nutshell?
Vicki DaSilva: My modus operandi is to create single frame time exposure photographs at site-specific locations at night that combine principles of drawing, painting, sculpture, performance and installation art with light. And to make lightgraffiti.com the most popular site for light graffiti.
Light Tartans: Fountain Park #4 (2007)
EG: What is the thinking behind your two – very different it seems – current projects?
Vicki DaSilva: My light painting photographic installation based works are made with the pursuit of contributing to contemporary fine art photography
with a body of work that is historically significant in terms of originality and execution of process.
Light Tartans: Fountain Park #6 (2008)